Shades of Black
by CaliBrat
Summary: A protection detail resurrects ghosts from Ziva's past. Tiva of course! Rating for violence and language.
1. Visitor

**Shades of Black**

_A/N: This one is my first NCIS fanfic (but not my first fanfic), so please be kind! I actually have quite a few chapters of this written, but I have limited computer access due to my computer being eaten by viruses so updates WILL depend on the amount of interest I see (if I see that a lot of people are reading, I'll make special efforts to get to a computer more often!!) Oh, and this is VERY AU because I started it waaaayy before Semper Fi aired, so it doesn't follow the canon at all!_

_Disclaimer: who in their right mind would believe I own NCIS!?!?!?_

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It was a typical Monday morning with one glaring exception--Tony DiNozzo was actually on time, much to the amusement of his co-workers.

"Wow, I didn't know it was a blue moon," McGee quipped, grinning widely.

"Knock it off, Probie, I can be on time occasionally," Tony shot back.

"As occasionally as Abby comes to the office wearing a suit," Ziva chimed in, smiling mischievously.

"That will happen when and ONLY when hell freezes over!" Abby laughed, having come into the squadroom to see for herself that Tony was actually on time for once.

"Already happened, Abs. When the Eagles got back together," Gibbs said as he walked in. At Ziva's confused look, he continued, "No time to explain, we've got a dead Marine. Evidence should be in your lab by now, Abby. McGee can help."

"What about us, Boss?" Tony asked.

"You and Ziva with me in MTAC. We've got a conference with Deputy Director David," Gibbs said quietly.

"Why is Mossad involved?" Ziva asked as she stood, feeling a pang of dread at the mention of her father.

"Apparently our Marine had an Israeli wife and they have a child," Gibbs answered as the walked into MTAC.

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As Gibbs, Tony and Ziva entered MTAC, the elevator doors opened to admit a young woman in black flanked by two armed guards. Silently the trio went up the stairs to MTAC.

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Skipping the customary pleasantries, Gibbs cut right to the chase. "Director David, what is happening here? Lieutenant Stewart was killed in Tel Aviv, correct? Why involve NCIS?"

"I will explain in a moment, Agent Gibbs," the Mossad director answered. "But we are waiting for one more person to join us before--"

He was interrupted by the doors to MTAC opening to admit the young woman who had entered the squadroom under guard. Everyone turned to face the newcomer as she walked slowly to join the small group assembled.

When Ziva got a look at her, she felt as if her heart had stopped.

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_Ok, I know it was really short, but I decided to leave it on a cliffhanger to see if anyone might possibly want to see more! Future chapters ARE much longer!!!_

_CaliBrat_


	2. Because of me

**"Because of me"**

_**Disclaimer in chapter one. I own only Nikita and Jaycen Stewart!!**_

_A/N : I wasn't planning on posting again quite so soon, but when I checked back there was quite a lot of buzz so here is chapter 2!_

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As the young woman in black entered the room, she knew all eyes were on her. More and more she wished she'd chosen another course of action, but it had seemed a good idea at the time. Now as she studied the reactions to her appearance, she wasn't so sure.

"Nikita, you are late," Eli David spoke calmly, but with a note of rebuke.

"Not through any fault of my own, sir," she answered. "SOMEbody decided I needed an armed escort."

"That would be me," said Vance in response to the glare directed at him. To the others assembled he added, "This is Nikita Stewart, Lieutenant Jaycen Stewart's twin. She has information about his death and is now under NCIS protection."

As Vance introduced Nikita to the team, each of them took a moment to assess her on their own. She was young, probably not even twenty-five, tall, and she seemed confident to the point of arrogance. Also she was undeniably a pretty girl, despite two parallel scars on the right side of her face. Long black hair tumbled over her shoulders and down her back in wild curls, offset by flawless olive skin and striking violet eyes.

_Damn she's hot_, Tony thought, then mentally slapped himself. _She's just a kid, DiNozzo, get a grip!_ To distract himself, he look at his companions to see their reactions.

Gibbs, as usual, gave nothing away, but Tony knew he was sizing up Nikita and wondering what she knew about her brother's death. And why that knowledge would get her involved with Mossad and NCIS. Vance obviously knew what was going on, and Ziva...

_She looks like she's seen a ghost_ Tony thought as he looked back and forth between the two women. Then he realized exactly what had her so rattled. And there was no way he could offer any comfort to his partner, not with her father and Vance right there.

Ziva caught Tony's gaze and knew he understood--as he always did. Nikita was about the same age Tali would have been had she lived. Yes, her sister was dead, but to be so close to a girl who bore such a resemblance...silently Ziva cursed her father. He knew, damn it, HE KNEW how this would affect her. As he spoke once again, she forced herself to pay attention to the business at hand.

"The day of her brother's death, Nikita came to us at Mossad, seeking protection fro her brother's wife and child," David began. "I found her request odd at first, but upon hearing her story, I agreed to help her protect her remaining family. For their own safety, they believe she is also dead."

At those words, Nikita showed the first reaction to any of what had been said. The flinch was so slight that only Ziva and Gibbs caught it, but her voice was steady as she spoke.

"That's why I need NCIS. My brother is to be buried in Israel, but..." Nikita broke off with a shrug. "It's a rather long story."

"Indeed it is," agreed the Mossad director. "I will permit you to tell it while I see to your family's safety."

Before signing off, Eli addressed Ziva in Hebrew. Brief though it was, her discomfort was obvious. The only word Tony got was _Tali_, but Nikita obviously understood the whole exchange--and she wasn't too happy with what was being said.

Gibbs sidled over to her and said softly, "Wanna clue me in on what's going on?"

"No, sir, I don't," Nikita answered quietly. "To be honest, this is one of those times I really wish I wasn't multilingual. Besides, you should ask Officer David."

"Ask me what?" Ziva asked as she joined them.

"Nothing important," Nikita covered quickly. She really didn't want to explain what she'd just heard--or that she was fluent not only in Hebrew but other languages as well. "Look, is there somewhere a bit more comfortable where we can talk? This story is pretty long and I know there's a lot to clear up. And we need to let Frick and Frack here get back to their normal jobs."

Tony couldn't help grinning a little at Nikita's extremely direct approach. "What's the matter, kid? Most girls would love to have two big strong soldiers following them around..."

He promptly shut up when Gibbs smacked him upside the head.

Vance dismissed the guards with a nod. "As to your question, Miss Stewart, you are going to a safe house, with Agent DiNozzo and Officer David. They will be undercover as your sister and brother-in-law. Agent GIbbs will accompany you there and you can bring them up to speed. Agent McGee will monitor surveillance from here."

After dropping that bombshell, Vance left MTAC, presumably to inform McGee of his new assignment. Aside from a slight narrowing of her eyes, Nikita didn't allow any emotion to show, but she was boiling mad. Not only at Vance and Director David, but herself as well. She had to try to stop this mess she'd created before it really got out of hand.

"Officer David? Could I have a word?" Nikita asked softly as they walked back down to the squadroom.

"We'll meet you at the elevator," Gibbs said, motioning for Tony to follow. As soon as they were out of earshot, Nikita spoke.

"I'm sorry, Officer David."

"For what?" Ziva couldn't recall anything the girl had done requiring forgiveness. She had been expecting to be told that a protection detail was not necessary, or something else. From the little she had been able to read, Nikita was not the type to apologize--for anything.

_You know what for_ Nikita answered in Hebrew before switching to English. "If I'd known this would happen I would have gotten help elsewhere."

"I do not understand," Ziva answered softly. But she was afraid she did.

"Look, I know about your sister," Nikita spoke very softly. "I didn't know that I looked anything like her until that exchange between you and your father just now, and it's damned unfair to stick you with this assignment."

"The decision was not yours to make," Ziva snapped angrily. To her surprise, Nikita's only reaction was to raise an eyebrow.

"Wasn't it?" she said coolly. "It became my decision when I went to your father for help. A lot of innocent people have been hurt because of me. Excuse me for trying to keep you from being one of them!"

She turned to leave, silently cursing herself for her outburst and would have continued to the elevator, but Ziva grabbed her arm to stop her. For a split second Nikita reacted as if to an attack, but froze when she realized no attack was forthcoming.

"I'm sorry." Ziva spoke gently, knowing she wasn't really angry at Nikita. "I understand your concerns, but my personal feelings do not affect how I do my job. Yes, you do look very much Tali, but she is gone, Nikita. Your safety is my responsibility and I will fulfill it."

"I shouldn't be so defensive," Nikita conceded with a sigh. "It's just..."

"You have been through a great deal in the last few days," Ziva told her gently. "And I would guess without much sleep, yes?" Without waiting for a reply she asked, "So why don't we start over?"

"Okay...Ziva."

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_Okay, before anyone tells me Ziva doesn't use contractions, I went back and watched from "Silver War" on--and I noticed that she did. So please don't flame me for that!!! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

_CaliBrat_


	3. It belonged to my mother

**Shades of Black**

_A/N : Well, three updates in three days thanks to an enforced day off from work! Tomorrow things will be back to normal, but I do plan to update as often as possible. There are thirteen chapters already written, and my muse has been having a great time so hopefully there won't be a delay in updates!_

_Disclaimers in first chapter—come on, we all know I don't own NCIS!!!_

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"**It belonged to my mother"**

Gibbs silently watched the exchange between Ziva and Nikita with some concern. He knew that Nikita had understood every word that had been spoken in MTAC and her unwillingness to discuss it told him more than any explanation would have.

"Boss, do you think they'll be OK?" Tony asked. He was really worried, because he had a pretty good idea of what Ziva and her father had been 'discussing'. Then he breathed a sigh of relief as the two women started toward them.

"About time," was all Gibbs said, but he too was relieved. He was pretty sure a physical confrontation had been narrowly avoided—and he wasn't too sure that Ziva would have won. Something was obviously troubling the Israeli, and it seemed to originate with Nikita's appearance. _I just hope she'll tell DiNozzo. He seems to already know and my gut says he's the only one she's going to talk to about this._

"I'm gonna need to hit a mall or a Wal-Mart," Nikita said. "I, uh, didn't bring a whole lot with me."

"Sounds like a perfect way for us to get to know each other," Tony grinned, slinging an arm around Ziva and pulling her close. "Nothing like girls going shopping right, Sweet Cheeks?"

Of course this earned him another head slap from Gibbs, bringing a tiny smile to Ziva's lips. Nikita actually snickered.

"I take it this happens a lot," she said, pleased to see that Ziva looked a little happier. And Tony still had his arm around her.

"You wouldn't believe," Gibbs said wryly. _Looks like she IS human under that cold act._ "I'm gonna drop you two off at their places, then we'll see about what you'll need."

"My place is closest," Ziva said as they got into the car. "It would not take long to pack that I need, then we could take my car to Tony's."

"Not a bad idea, Boss," Tony added. "It'd make us look more like a couple visiting. Our cover might not hold up so well if we arrived in separate cars."

_And that should give me a chance to talk to Ziva in private, _he thought. He also wondered why her father sent Nikita here and he suspected that the cover story had been just as much a shock to her as the rest of them. And he had the bad feeling that they hadn't even seen the worst of it yet.

The ride to Ziva's apartment was silent, but extremely short since Gibbs was driving. Before Tony got out he got directions to the safe house, then ran to catch up with Ziva. Once in her apartment, she immediately headed for her bedroom, but stopped when Tony gently touched her shoulder.

"I am fine, Tony," she answered before he could ask. Even more gently he turned her to face him.

"Hey." Tony reached out and tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. Sadness rose in his heart at the pain he saw there. "Talk to me. I just want to help."

Ziva looked away, but didn't fight him when he pulled her close. "There is nothing anyone can do, Tony."

"She looks like Tali, doesn't she?" Tony asked, holding her closer. Ziva nodded and her felt her arms slide around his waist. "I'm so sorry."

"It is not your fault." Ziva rested her cheek against his chest, taking comfort from the warmth of his arms around her, comfort she had always denied herself before. "But thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," Tony whispered, pulling back enough to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. "You're my partner. And my best friend. I know under that tough ninja act of yours you have a heart. When you hurt, I can tell."

Ziva didn't know what to say to this. "Tony..."

"It's okay," he smiled. She loved that smile. "Any time you need to talk, you know I'm here."

"Yes." For the first time Ziva managed a genuine smile. Reluctantly she let go of Tony and stepped back. "Would you care to help me pack?"

"Lead the way."

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"Agent Gibbs?" Nikita spoke for the first time since they'd arrived at the safe house. The trip to the mall had taken surprisingly little time and they were the first to arrive back.

"What's on your mind, Miss Stewart?" Gibbs had already figured that she was more than just an endangered witness, particularly when she had reached into her backpack and pulled out an envelope containing roughly fifty thousand dollars before they had gone into the mall. "Maybe what you're doing carrying a wad of cash that size?"

"Not yet, sir," Nikita answered, favoring him with a slight smile. "I promise to explain that though. I just wanted to say thanks."

"We haven't done anything yet," Gibbs answered quietly.

"Don't bet on that." Nikita looked out the window again. "I'll feel a lot better when your agents get here and we can get this over with."

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"TONY!!" Ziva was more than a little exasperated at this point. First Tony couldn't decide on wardrobe, then he insisted on packing enough DVDs to stock a Blockbuster, and now he was looking for something else without telling her what it was. "Tell me what you are looking for so I can help you find it and we can go!"

"Just a second....aha, found it!" Tony turned toward her with a huge grin on his face.

"Good, can we leave then? Gibbs is going to kill us both!" Ziva exclaimed. "What was so important anyway?"

"This." Tony held up a small black velvet box. He opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. "It..belonged to my mother. I thought it would make our cover more believable if you had an engagement ring."

"It is beautiful, Tony." Ziva found it a little difficult to speak. That her partner would entrust something so special to her... "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I am," Tony smiled. He carefully slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her hand. "NOW we're ready to go."

"I will take good care of this, Tony," Ziva whispered, still holding his hand as they exited her apartment. "I know how much it means to you."

Tony didn't answer, but he squeezed her hand before releasing it to place his bags in the car. Then he turned back to her and pulled her into a warm hug.

"This is gonna be a tough case," he whispered in her ear. "I'll do anything, anything at all to make things easier for you."

"I know." Ziva didn't want to think about the case now. She had a feeling that things would be much worse when they knew the whole story. "Tony we should go. Gibbs will be wondering where we are."

"Okay." Tony surprised her by opening the car door for her. "I bet we're still the first ones back though.'

_A/N : yeah I know, there's a little OOC here, but keep in mind that this is a situation that is pretty different. This is just how I think everyone would react to the way things are unfolding._


	4. I don't know where to start

_A/N okay, it's been a few days since I've updated. All I can say is...THANK YOU to all of you for showing so much interest in my crazy ramblings!! I've been following quite a few stories on this site, but it's really hard for me to get online to review :( But I want all of you to know that I AM reading too and I LOVE LOVE LOVE you guys!!!!!! _

_CaliBrat_

"**I don't know where to start"**

"How in the HELL did you guys manage to beat us back?" Tony asked incredulously. "No girl shops that fast!"

"Well, apparently some do, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, lightly smacking Tony upside the head.

"I knew what I needed, and staying in one place for too long probably isn't a good idea," Nikita said softly. "Not in light of what happened to Jayce."

"What exactly happened to your brother?" Gibbs asked. "I take it his death wasn't a random killing or you wouldn't be here."

"No," Nikita sighed, wishing she could avoid this conversation. It wouldn't help the situation, and it sure as hell wouldn't make any of them feel better about everything going on. "I'm not stalling for time, sir—I just don't know where to start."

"Perhaps you should rest," Ziva suggested. "How long has it been since you slept?"

"I slept a little on the flight," Nikita answered evasively. Ziva stared her down, silently demanding an answer. "Okay, about seventy-two hours, give or take. Like I said, I caught a little sleep on the flight, but it wasn't safe until then."

"So you've more or less been on the run for three days?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. I'd just arrived in Tel Aviv to visit Jayce and Rachael—and to visit my nephew Isaac. He...just turned three." Nikita reached into her backpack and produced a small framed photograph. It was a snapshot of a happy family, the small boy grinning and waving madly at the camera. "When I heard about what happened...I knew who was behind it and why. I had to get out of Israel, get away from Rachael and Isaac. The only place I could go was to Mossad. I knew they could help."

"So who do you think killed your brother?" Gibbs asked.

"An internationally known assassin," Nikita answered. "Ever hear of the Black Dragon?"

Ziva's eyes widened in horror at the name. "You think that is who killed your brother?"

"No, I KNOW he killed Jayce." Nikita produced an evidence envelope and placed several crime scene photographs on the small coffee table. "I got these from Mossad because I knew I'd need some proof. As you can see, Black Dragon left his calling card on the body—two parallel slashes on the right side of the face."

"This does look like his handiwork," Ziva observed. "Mossad has been trying to find this killer for a long time. He is suspected to have ties to multiple terrorist organizations and he has killed a number of our agents as well."

"Who is he?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"No one knows, Gibbs," Ziva answered. "He is like a ghost. All he leaves is bodies."

"That sums it up pretty well," Nikita agreed. "All we really know is the name—and even that isn't much. His MO is his signature."

"So what would make him go after your brother?" Tony asked. Nikita looked down at the floor, trying to compose herself before answering. Suddenly water sprayed everywhere as the glass in her left hand shattered.

"Oh hell," Nikita growled. "I'll clean up this mess, then..."

"Hold up," Gibbs said gently. "Ziva's going to help you take care of your hand and we'll clean up here, ok?"

Ziva helped Nikita up and led her toward the bathroom. Tony went into the kitchen and came back with a towel as Gibbs carefully picked up the largest shards of glass.

"Boss, I don't know about this," Tony said softly. "There's a hell of a lot more going on here than just a Marine being assassinated."

"Ya think, DiNozzo?" Gibbs said sarcastically. Nikita's loss of control told him that they were about to be ripping open a lot of wounds from her past and he of all people knew how much pain that would cause. It pissed him off to have to put anyone through that kind of emotional wringer. But he realized that Tony was doing more than just stating the obvious. "Do you know something I don't?"

"I may, but it's not my place to say, Boss." Tony answered without a trace of his usual smart-ass attitude. Gibbs nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Look after Ziva on this case," was all he said before standing and taking out his cell phone.

"Boss?" Tony wasn't sure what he'd expected from Gibbs, but that wasn't it.

"Something is bothering her, I don't know what, but I think you do. Am I right?" Gibbs asked. When Tony nodded, he continued, "I don't want you to tell me, but I DO want you to be there when she needs you."

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"He wasn't after your brother, was he?" Ziva asked as she removed shards of glass from Nikita's hand. The girl had recovered her composure much too quickly, obviously trying to keep up a stoic appearance, but Ziva knew better. She had learned that trick far too well herself to not see it in someone else.

"How did you know?" Nikita stared at the Mossad officer in shock. "I never said..."

"You didn't have to," Ziva answered. Gently she touched the scars on Nikita's face. "You had a run-down with him yourself?"

"If you mean a run-in, yes," Nikita answered, allowing an amused smile. She winced as Ziva removed a large chunk of glass. "Ow."

"Sorry. I know that hurts." Ziva tried to be gentle, but the cuts on Nikita's slim hand were deep and bleeding heavily. "You probably need stitches."

"No hospitals." Nikita shook her head. "I heal fine on my own."

Ziva sighed, knowing this was an argument she couldn't win. Instead she finished cleaning and bandaging the wounds, then gently placed her hand on Nikita's arm. "You are safe here, I promise. Tony and I will not allow anything to happen to you."

"It's not me I'm worried about," Nikita whispered, tears coming to her eyes. The events of the past three days were suddenly crashing down on her, and the finality of her loss hit hard. "Just by being around me, you've all become targets. There's a three-year-old boy in Israel who just lost his daddy and will never know his aunt. And the worst of it is that it's my fault!"

At last, Nikita's studied control evaporated somewhat as silent tears began to slide down her face, but they stopped almost as quickly as they began. Ziva had never seen anyone with that much emotional control, and she knew eventually that control would shatter. All they could hope to do was be there when that happened.

_What am I supposed to tell her?_ Ziva thought angrily. _There is no way to undo what has happened, nothing that will ever make this pain go away._ She knew that all too well.

"How is this your fault?" Gibbs asked from the bathroom doorway. By the look on his face it was obvious that he'd heard the entire conversation, but as Nikita started to answer he raised a hand to stop her. "Come sit back down."


	5. It should have been me

_A/N : I'm gonna try to do two chapters each time I can get to a computer so you guys aren't left hanging too much! This chapter is relatively short, but now you're gonna find out who Nikita is and what her full story is—and it ain't pretty! So strap yourselves in cause the ride is getting started!_

_Disclaimer : I don't even own a computer! Does anybody REALLY think I own NCIS?!?!?!?!?!_

**It should have been me**

When Nikita sat back down on the couch, Gibbs silently handed her a glass of bourbon. "You may need this."

"Thanks." She drained the glass before speaking again. "As Ziva has already guessed, the Black Dragon wasn't targeting Jayce. He was after me."

"Why?" Gibbs asked softly.

"Because seven years ago, when I was sixteen..." Nikita broke off and downed another shot of bourbon before finishing, "I walked in as he murdered my parents."

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Elsewhere in the city, the assassin known as Black Dragon spread an array of photos on the table before him. True, the woman and boy were now unattainable, but no matter. They were incidental anyway. The only target that mattered was here in this very city. As hoped, Nikita Stewart was playing right into his hands.

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"My parents were actually diplomats," Nikita said softly. "They were big on international cooperation to fight terrorists."

"I remember them," Ziva spoke up. "Unfortunately we never met in person. But I never heard that they were killed by the Black Dragon."

"No, you wouldn't have," Nikita answered grimly. "They were shot execution-style. I was just coming in when I heard the gunshots. He just dumped the gun on the floor and left it—why he didn't just shoot me too I don't know."

"Is that how you got the scars?" Tony asked. He was amazed nikita could recount this so calmly, but seven years' distance—not to mention two shots of bourbon—probably helped.

"Yeah. It wasn't the brightest thing I've ever done." Nikita sighed tiredly. She really wanted to tell this as quickly as possible, but there was no easy way around this. "I'd trained in martial arts and later hand-to-hand combat pretty much since I could walk, so I thought I could take him."

Ziva moved to sit beside Nikita. "What happened?"

"I wish I could remember," the girl answered. "God knows I've tried. I just remember wanting to kill the sonofabitch. After that—waking up in a hospital bed feeling like I'd been hit by a train. But he obviously wanted me to remember him."

"You're damn lucky he didn't kill you," Gibbs said. Quietly he poured more bourbon for all of them.

"Was I?" Nikita asked softly. Something in her voice implied there was more to come. "Jayce should still be alive. It should have been me, not him. He was a lot better person than me."

Ziva felt her heart break at those words—so like the thoughts she herself had had after Tali's death. But she had also been around long enough to know that tings happened for a reason, even the bad things.

"Nikita." She spoke gently, but with a firmness that made the girl look up to meet her gaze. "You witnessed something no sixteen-year-old should have and nearly paid for it with your life. No one can blame you for wanting this killer dead."

"I haven't told you everything yet." Nikita drained her third glass before continuing. "Jayce...he took the high road, became a Marine, helped a lot of people. What I did—it wasn't that honorable. I decided the best way to find and kill an assassin...was to become one myself. I trained with anyone who would teach me what I wanted to know. Nikita Stewart died with her parents. Now...I'm just known as the Black Tiger."

Ziva felt her breath catch in her throat. In Mossad she had heard of the Black Tiger also. An assassin whose skills rivaled those of the Black Dragon, the Tiger had kill many of the Dragon's operatives. No one knew the Tiger's identity—save for one identifying mark—just that the assassin was a mercenary, often working for the highest bidder but at other times turning down exceptionally lucrative prospects for unknown reasons.

"Nikita, that isn't something to joke about," Tony said sharply. He wasn't sure how bad this really was, but judging from the look on Ziva's face—bad didn't begin to cover it.

"You think I don't know that?" Nikita snapped, her eyes darkening with anger. Standing quickly she stripped off her long trench coat, revealing that she wore a plain black tank and black jeans. She also wore several knives at her waist as well as a a few wicked-looking throwing stars, and Gibbs suspected she had more weapons concealed elsewhere. Most shocking of all, her left shoulder was covered by a fearsome tiger tattoo, the front paw reaching down her arm. Ziva rose very slowly to look more closely at the artwork.

"Why did you go to Mossad?" she asked quietly. "An assassin of your ability should not require backup."

"I didn't need it for me." Nikita sat back down, not looking at any of them. "It also wasn't my idea to involve NCIS. I'm so sorry, Ziva."

"Why?" Carefully Ziva reached out to the younger woman, placing a hand on her wrist. "This is not your fault. I do not believe you have made your life's decisions lightly."

"No." Finally Nikita raised her eyes. "If it was just me, then I wouldn't have involved any of you. But Jayce...the Dragon killed him to draw me out into the open. He wouldn't think twice about killing Rachael and Isaac too."

"But why come to us if they're under Mossad protection?" Gibbs asked, determined to get to the bottom of the mystery now.

"That was my father's idea," Ziva said unhappily. "Mossad has wanted to sanction the Dragon for some time. This is the best chance they have."

"Correct." Nikita confirmed. "And to be honest, I want this to be over. Either I'll kill the Dragon or die trying."

_A/N : let me know what you think! Also, major thanks to my friend Swordpatriot for helping me learn how to use the system!!!_


	6. No live witnesses

**No live witnesses**

_A/N : THANK YOU for reading!!!!!_

_Disclaimer : if I owned NCIS I would have handled the end of this season a little differently!_

"She telling the truth?" Gibbs quietly asked Ziva. Nikita had excused herself for a shower and change of clothes, giving them a few minutes to talk privately.

"Yes." Ziva actually looked frightened, something Tony had never seen from her before. Gibbs had—once. But this was different somehow. "The tattoo on her shoulder...it's unique and the only mark that ever identified the Tiger. I saw it once in a Mossad file. But, Gibbs, she is so young..."

"How old were you when you made your first kill?" he replied. "You and I both know age has nothing to do with it."

Gibbs, the Black Tiger has a distinct method of killing! The victims look as if they were mauled by a wild animal! In some of the evidence I've seen they were torn apart." Ziva shuddered at the memory. And the one who killed so savagely had been sitting right beside her...

"The big question is still why did your father send her here?" Tony asked. He hoped that Ziva would be able to concoct a plausible story without having to mention her sister's death. "Because you're Mossad?"

Ziva smiled slightly, knowing Tony was trying to help, but she wanted Gibbs to know the truth. "Perhaps. But also because of my younger sister. Tali and Nikita would be the same age and..truthfully, they look so much alike they could be related. By spreading the story that Nikita is dead, she can safely pose as my sister here. That gives her the freedom she needs to hunt down the Black Dragon."

"Which I still think is pretty damned unfair to you guys," Nikita said from the door. She was now dressed in blue jeans and a sleeveless olive green top, but her weapons belt was still securely fastened around her waist. "But it was the only way to get your father to help me out."

Gibbs' phone rang at that moment, putting a halt to the discussion. A minute later he hung up and rejoined them.

"Back to base," was all he said. "All of us."

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Nikita remained quiet on the ride back to the Navy yard. She wasn't too happy with the way things were working out. For one, she felt responsible for the agents with her. Second, she didn't want help. All she truly wanted was an end to this game she had played for seven years—one way or another.

As Gibbs parked the car, Nikita immediately felt that something was off. She was out of the car almost before it stopped and the others weren't far behind. Then she sensed they weren't alone. Before she could warn the others, two men seemed to appear out of nowhere. One caught Ziva off guard and hit her hard, knocking her into the car. As she slumped to the ground dazed, Nikita yelled, "Stay back! It's me they're after!"

The two assassins converged on her too quickly for her to draw a weapon, but Nikita was unfazed by this. As her lethal training took over, Gibbs now understood why she had become so greatly feared. Combining her natural speed with vicious strikes, Nikita ended the fight quickly, leaving one assassin dead and the other barely alive. Walking over to the still-breathing killer, she lifted him by his shirt front, drew back her right hand and with a single violent clawing strike ripped open the man's face and snapped his neck.

"Rule number one," she said, meeting Gibbs' eyes. "No live witnesses."

"We could have questioned him," Gibbs said angrily. "Ever think of that?"

"Black Dragon has been sending these two-bit thugs after me for years!" Nikita snapped as she wiped her hands on the dead man's shirt. "In the unlikely event that they actually know anything, they'd die before telling us."

"She is right, Gibbs," Ziva said as Tony helped her stand. "It would seem the story of Nikita's death did not fool the Black Dragon."

"Yeah no shit!" Nikita was furious now. "You could have all been killed!"

"We're fine," Ziva assured her. "But you need medical attention."

Following Ziva's pointed look, Nikita stared down at her hand and was shocked to see blood soaking through the bandage and dripping from her fingertips. "Oh, yuck. I'm gonna have to do something about this."

"How much pain can you stand?" Tony asked. When Nikita merely glared at him, he continued, "Our medical examiner could stitch that up, but I don't think he's got any painkillers."

"That's a good idea," Gibbs told him. "I'll deal with this here, you two get her to Ducky before she bleeds to death."

"Like that would be a loss," Nikita mumbled. "You all could have been killed--"

Abruptly she shut up as Gibbs smacked the back of her head. "You already said that once, kid. Now go with Ziva and DiNozzo or I'll kick your ass from one end of this Navy yard to the other."

"Yes SIR!" Nikita managed a smart-ass salute and a weak grin. Despite her conditioning to be a loner, she really liked Gibbs, Tony and Ziva. It was almost like having a family again.

_Hey let me know what you think!! I may or may not post another chapter till Memorial Day, cause I think I may try to finish the writing between now and then. But I could be talked into posting sooner I suppose ;) Love ya!_

_CaliBrat_


	7. Let me help

**Let me help**

_A/N : Well, thanks to Memorial Day I get three days off this week! So hopefully I can get some good updating in. A HUGE thank you to everyone who has been following and reviewing—I'm glad you guys are enjoying this! I can only post one chapter tonight, but it's got some good Tiva fluff and we get a glimpse of Ziva's softer side._

"Oh, dear, are you sure the emergency room wouldn't be a better idea?" Ducky asked once Nikita's hand was unwrapped. The fight had torn open the deep, angry—looking wounds making them even worse than before.

"A hospital isn't really an option, Dr. Mallard," Nikita answered, mentally cursing herself for getting into this situation to begin with. "But this probably won't heal without stitches, will it?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear," Ducky answered, leading her to a clean table. "However this will be rather painful for you. Under the circumstances..."

"No, it's okay, I can take it," Nikita gulped nervously as she managed to get up onto the table. "As long as I don't have to watch I'll be all right."

"Perhaps you should lie down," Ziva suggested. "It might be easier for you to keep your hand still while Ducky works."

"Yeah." Nikita swallowed hard and lay back on the cold steel. She hated to admit it, but stuff like this scared the shit out of her. "How bad is this going to hurt?"

"Without anesthesia, this will be excruciating, I'm afraid," Ducky said gently. "Are you sure you would rather not go to a hospital, my dear?"

"I can't. Just go ahead." Nikita looked up at Ziva, her violet eyes filled with fear. In an uncharacteristic gesture, the Mossad officer gently took the girl's free hand in both of hers.

"I'm right here." Ziva felt a sudden rush of compassion for this girl who was so like her own sister. She reached over and stroked Nikita's hair back, trying to distract her as Ducky began stitching the wounds. "It will be all right, _tateleh."_

Nikita clung more tightly to Ziva's hand as the pain steadily increased, gritting her teeth to keep from screaming as silent tears poured down her face. By the time Ducky had finished, she was sobbing uncontrollably from pain. Ziva helped her sit up and held her tightly until she was still, murmuring softly to comfort her.

Tony had stayed back a bit, partly because of his aversion to needles and partly because he felt he would just be in the way. Mostly though, he wanted to see this new side of Ziva. He had always suspected that she had a much gentler heart than anyone had guessed—not that she would want them to. And Nikita seemed to respond to her more as a sibling than a federal agent, possibly because they really were very much alike. Tony just hoped they could keep the kid alive. He couldn't let Ziva lose another sister.

"Tony." Ziva's voice broke the silence and he joined the small group. Nikita still leaned against Ziva, but was calmer now.

"Hey, kid." Gently he rested a hand on Nikita's back, rubbing lightly. When she looked up, he tried to smile. "You okay?"

"It wasn't in my top ten most fun things to do, but I think so." Nikita sat up straighter and gave them a watery smile. Then she looked around for Ducky. "Thanks, Dr. Mallard.  
"Please call me Ducky," the medical examiner smiled. "And I would say it was my pleasure, but I don't enjoy causing such pain."  
Nikita actually laughed at that, then hugged Ducky. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances."

"When next we meet, perhaps it will be for a drink, my dear," he smiled.

"I hope so...Ducky."

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By the time the paperwork had been handled from the incident in the parking lot, the hour had grown quite late. Nikita had insisted on ordering and paying for dinner, pointing out that it was her fault they were all stuck there for the evening. It turned out that she had excellent taste in food and had even made sure to provide Abby with a fresh Caf-Pow, thus making a friend for life.

"Ready to go home, Tony?" Ziva asked as she finished the last of her work.

"Yeah," he sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. "All I want is a hot shower and a comfortable bed."

"Then let us go and collect Nikita from Abby's lab," Ziva smiled, taking his hand and leading him to the elevator.

"Oh, God, I don't even want to THINK what Abby's teaching her," Tony moaned. "Now she'll be able to kill someone and 'leave no forensic evidence'"

But Abby's lab was actually quiet. The usually hyper Goth met them at the door quietly, which Tony thought was really weird until she pointed to the cot set up against the far wall. Nikita lay in a deep sleep, probably the best she'd had in a while, using Bert the hippo as a pillow.

"She was so tired, you guys. Do we really have to wake her up?" Abby whispered, wanting to let her new friend rest.

"Maybe not," Tony smiled. Slowly he lifted the sleeping girl into his arms. "Although she may kill me if she wakes up."

Nikita didn't wake however. It seemed that grief and exhaustion had finally caught up to her. Abby grinned and hugged Ziva hard. "Give her one for me later, okay?"

"I promise, Abby."

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"Ziva?" Nikita mumbled sleepily. "You still here?"

"Yes, _tateleh_." After they got her back to the house, Nikita woke just long enough to change for bed before collapsing once more. Tony had also retired, but Ziva wanted to stay with Nikita a little longer. Despite her efforts to remain detached, she was already beginning to care for the young assassin as a younger sister.

"What made you call me that?" the girl asked, settling deeper under the blankets. "You did earlier too—in the autopsy room."

"It was something I said to Tali," Ziva realized, surprised at herself. "You remind me of her a great deal."

"I never had a big sister," Nikita mumbled, losing her battle against sleep. "Wish..I had though."

"Sleep now," Ziva whispered. Silently she slipped out of the room and made her way down the hall to the bedroom she and Tony were sharing. She slid into bed carefully so she wouldn't wake him up, but he rolled to face her, nearly making her jump out of her skin.

"She asleep?" he asked, smirking because he'd managed to startle her.

"Tony!" Ziva willed her heart to stop pounding so hard. "I thought you were asleep!"

"I wanted to talk to you first," he whispered, sliding closer to her.

"There is nothing to talk about Tony," she whispered back. "I'm fine, really."

"Ziva, don't do that. I know today was hard for you." Tony cupped her cheek in his hand. "You see your sister when you look at Nikita, and I know that it hurts. Please just let me help."

Ziva allowed Tony to take her in his arms, unable to refuse the comfort he was offering. He cradled her against him, as if trying to shield her from the pain she felt. She found herself wishing that he could be there every night to chase away the demons that kept her from sleep too often now. "Why?"

"Why what?" Tony ran his hand through her hair and held her a little tighter.

"Why do you care so much? **How** can you care so much about me?" Suddenly Ziva was glad the room was dark so Tony couldn't see her face. "After the pain my own blood caused..."

"You are not your brother," Tony interrupted, leaning down to softly kiss her lips. As he'd hoped, she was too stunned to continue. "His actions weren't yours. Nobody ever thought they were."

"But you don't know the whole truth," she whispered, feeling the tears begin to fall and being powerless to stop them. "When I tell you, you will hate me for what I have done."

"Never," Tony soothed, kissing away her tears, wanting to make everything all right again. "I could never hate you."

"Tony, **_I_** killed Ari! It was me...not Gibbs..." Ziva whimpered against his chest. The pain she'd carried for the last few years rushed to the surface, and Tony's gentleness shattered her control. For the first time in years, Ziva David let herself break, hearing his soft voice, taking comfort from his touch. For once she permitted herself the weakness of needing someone.

Tony, for his part, was in shock. He knew Ziva had had more than her share of pain and grief in her life, but this was more terrible than even he had guessed. There was nothing he could do but give her the comfort and reassurance she so desperately needed, whether or not she'd ever admit it. He held her as tightly as he could, quietly comforting her, while his heart broke for his ninja.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered, feeling tears burn his own eyes. "God, I'm so sorry you had to go through that alone. I'd give anything to make it better. Sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

Gradually, Ziva managed to calm herself as she lay in Tony's arms. She was profoundly grateful that he was still there at all. Part of her had expected him to bolt whether from her admission or her shameful display of hysterics. Even now she couldn't bring herself to pull away—his hands felt so good as they gently caressed her trembling body. There was nothing sexual about his touch, just tenderness unlike anything she had ever known. She sighed with exhaustion and snuggled into her partner, placing a kiss against his neck.

"Tony?" she whispered hoarsely and felt him kiss her temple.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her. "My Ziva. My sweet, brave ninja."

"Yours, huh?" she smiled against his neck.

"Yeah, mine," Tony grinned back. He kissed her again and said softly, "You gonna be okay now?"

"I think so," Ziva sighed. It was getting so hard to keep her eyes open...

"You're gonna feel a lot better in the morning," Tony settled her more comfortably against him. "Now get some rest okay?  
"_Layla tov_, Tony,"

"_Buena notte,_ my Ziva."

_Okay, I got a little fluffy at the end—BTW, not my usual, but that was kinda where the story wanted to go! And I looovvveee dealing with buried issues (more will come up later!)_

_Love you guys and hope you enjoyed it!_

_CaliBrat_


	8. Don't run out of coffee

**Don't run out of coffee**

_A/N : Sorry I didn't get the chance to update yesterday! I got called to do a video shoot and it ran pretty late (didn't get paid, but it still goes on the resume :)) So here's chapter 8 :) Hope you guys like :)_

Tony woke in the morning to bright sunlight as it streamed into the bedroom, but it wasn't his apartment. Then everything came rushing back, including his concerns for Ziva. Opening his eyes, he smiled to see her still sleeping peacefully in his arms. He didn't know what would happen when she woke, but he was pretty sure she'd be ashamed of her breakdown the night before. For now he just held her and prayed it would be enough.

"I'll always take care of you, Ziva," he promised, softly kissing her cheek. At the light touch, she stirred then slowly opened her eyes.

"You're still here," she stated quietly, surprise evident in her voice. She hadn't really expected him to remain at her side.

"I meant what I said," Tony answered. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Tony..." Ziva found she couldn't look him in the eye. "I..."

"It's okay, you know," he whispered. At last she met his eyes as he began tracing his fingertips over her delicate features. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing at all."

"I should never have lost control like that." Ziva looked away again as she felt her face reddening slightly. "We are in the middle of a case..."

"Hush." Tony interrupted her firmly. He began stroking her hair gently as he tried to find just the right words. "Ziva, you're the strongest person I've ever met. I'm so sorry you've been hurting that much for so long. And I've done nothing to help."

"It isn't your fault, Tony."

"It is when I don't see how bad you're hurting," Tony said softly. "It's nothing short of a miracle that you've managed to stay sane all this time."

Ziva gave a short, bitter laugh. "Mossad training I guess."

"Please don't," Tony whispered. "Don't try to make light of it."

The concern in Tony's voice got Ziva's attention. When she looked up, she was shocked to see that he was actually hurting because she was. She reached up and caressed his face tenderly. "I will be okay, Tony."

"I know, sweetheart." Tony pulled her close and just held her. "You are so amazing, you know that?"

"No." Ziva held on to him, never wanting to let go. "You are trying to distract me, yes?"  
Tony gave a soft laugh at the surprise on her face. "You really don't see how special you are?"

"There is nothing special about being a Mossad assassin," Ziva answered bluntly. She couldn't understand why he would care so much for her.

"That's not what I see." Tony lifted her chin and held her gaze. This was one conversation he could not afford to screw up. "When I look at you I see a beautiful woman who has had a very lonely life. You act like you haven't got feelings just to keep everyone from knowing how much your heart is hurting, but I know that's not really you, Ziva. I care so much for you—more than I can tell you."

"I have never known anyone like you, Tony," she whispered, blinking back tears. "You know that I have done terrible things in my past, and yet you can still care..."

"Oh, baby, don't think like that, please." Tony held her in a crushing embrace, his heart aching. "You've been through so many awful things in your life, and it's nothing short of miraculous that you're even still alive. You need to let yourself find some happiness, Ziva. You deserve to be happy. Really."

"Thank you, Tony. For everything." Ziva smiled and placed a light kiss on his lips. Snuggling back against his chest, she added, "And I am always happy when I am with you."

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"It would seem we are very well stocked for groceries," Ziva remarked as Tony started a pot of coffee. "Do you have any preference for breakfast?"

"How about I cook?" Tony smiled, pulling her into a loving hug. "You...kinda had a rough night."

Before Ziva could answer, Nikita stumbled into the kitchen, but this apparition was comically different from the girl they had met yesterday. She wore boxers and a tank top, her long hair was tousled from sleep and her feet were bare. Overall she looked more like a sleepy college co-ed than a deadly assassin.

"Morning, sunshine!" Tony grinned, fighting hard against the urge to laugh. He felt Ziva shaking in his arms as she fought a similar battle. Nikita mumbled something unintelligible in response and made a beeline for the coffee pot. She managed to locate a cup after some fumbling around and once she drank about half of the first cup she seemed slightly more alert.

"'Morning," she mumbled blearily, finally noticing that she wasn't alone. "It is still morning, right?"

That was too much for Tony and he cracked up laughing, and in spite of her best efforts, Ziva did too. Nikita didn't respond except to drink more coffee in an attempt to wake herself up. After a minute she grinned slightly.

"I just remembered something Jayce used to say about me," she snickered. "He'd say, 'Instant human...just add coffee.' It always takes me a while to function."

"Sounds like you in the morning, Tony," Ziva teased, thinking of some of the Monday mornings he had stumbled into the office.

"Only when you kept me awake half the night because you snore," Tony grinned back. "Remember the undercover op?"

"Whoa, you guys slept together undercover?!" Nikita stared wide-eyed, now fully awake. "Where can I sign up for something like that?"

"Not quite," Tony answered. "We were under surveillance as married assassins, so we had to make it **_look_** real. But Gibbs would have killed us if we'd really done anything."

"Wow, bummer," Nikita smirked. "All the work and no fun? On second thought, don't sign me up for one of those ops."

"Well, it is good to see you smile," Ziva said softly. Again she was struck by Nikita's resemblance to Tali, and couldn't resist a little mischief. "And who says we did not have **_fun_** undercover?"

Tony caught on immediately to Ziva's game and gave her a passionate kiss to rival any they had shared undercover. To his surprise she kissed back eagerly and he let her take the lead, opening his mouth and entwining his tongue with hers...

"Eew, get a room already!" Nikita said loudly, breaking the moment. "That's **_NOT_** something I want to watch first thing in the morning!!"

Ziva started to laugh, but didn't move out of Tony's embrace. "You never got involved with anyone undercover?"

"Hey, I didn't say that," Nikita retorted. "But waking up to see a game of tonsil hockey first thing in the morning..."

"The way you are, I'm surprised you even noticed," Tony chuckled.

"Touche," Nikita conceded. Then her stomach grumbled loudly and she rose from the table. "I'm starving, time to raid the fridge."

"I'll cook," Tony volunteered with a smile. "While I do you two can fight over the shower."

"There's two showers, remember?" Nikita said. "But I certainly won't say no to a nice hot shower right now."

Ziva was saved from commenting by the doorbell. She wasn't surprised that it was Gibbs, but then she remembered her confession to Tony the night before and felt a rush of dismay. He had lied in his report to protect her and she wasn't too sure he would have wanted her to tell her partner the truth of what had happened the night Ari died.

"You gonna let me in, Ziva?" Gibbs asked. He had seen the emotions that played across her face and could sense her uneasiness as she let him in. "What's wrong?"

"I...I told Tony," she answered in a voice barely above a whisper. "About Ari."

"You told him the truth?" Gibbs asked gently.

"Yes." Ziva wouldn't look up. "I am sorry, Gibbs. I just--"

"Never apologize," Gibbs answered. "Besides, I'm glad you told him."

That made her look up in total confusion. "You are?"

"He's your partner and he cares about you," Gibbs said quietly. "You know that. And you needed to tell him."  
"But..."

"No 'buts'," he interrupted firmly. "Ari may have been a lot of things, but he was still your brother. You did what was necessary, but I've seen that pain eating at you every day. The only thing that puzzles me is why you didn't tell him sooner."

"I was afraid to," Ziva answered.

Gibbs reached out and gave her a fatherly hug. "You made the right call, Ziver."

"Thank you." Ziva pulled away with a small smile.

"Hey, Boss!" Tony said from the kitchen door. He'd heard part of their conversation and was glad Gibbs was okay with Ziva's confession. "You're just in time for breakfast!"

"All right! Food!" Nikita said enthusiastically as she came down the hall, her hair still damp from the shower. "I'm starving!"

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"Damn, DiNozzo, did you cook everything in the house?" Gibbs joked. Tony had made bacon and sausage, toast, and he'd improvised an omlette bar as well.

"Hey, I'm not complaining" Nikita grinned, starting her third cup of coffee. "You're a good cook, Tony."

"Wait until he cooks dinner," Ziva said, smiling over at him. "I think Tony was a gourmet chef in a past life."

"So were you," Tony grinned back. "And in answer to the Boss man's question, there's still plenty of food left."

"As long as we don't run out of coffee, I'm good," Nikita quipped. But then her smile faded. "So, what's going on?"

"You got an update from Tel Aviv," Gibbs answered. "Your brother was buried this morning, in accordance with his final wishes. Also...there will be a ceremony at Arlington today at dusk. Vance has arranged for you to attend via MTAC."

"I see." Nikita kept her expression blank, but deep down she wasn't sure how to feel. She stared into her coffee cup, trying to come up with an appropriate response.

"You don't have to go," Tony said quietly, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen. "But you also don't have to go alone."

"Will you all be there?" Nikita asked, unable to look up. Ziva moved to stand behind her then wrapped her in a gentle hug.

"Of course we will." She looked to Gibbs and Tony for help, silently begging for their support.

"We'll be there," Gibbs promised.

_A/N : wow, this chapter was longer than I thought it was gonna be! In answer to a question I was sent, I don't think Tony would have a problem with Ziva killing Ari. It was more about her perception of her own actions and her guilt over killing her brother. Guilt like that can do a lot of damage and really screw up your perceptions!._

_CaliBrat_


	9. Try to sleep

**Trying to sleep**

_A/N : Just a Kleenex warning here—this chapter is pretty sad. It also goes more into how everyone is affected by the current circumstances and how they support one another—I always loved how Gibbs' team is a family (albeit a dysfunctional one!) Hope you guys enjoy!_

MTAC grew silent as Nikita entered with Gibbs' team. Abby and McGee were there too; they didn't know her that well, but they wanted to offer any support they could. None of them really heard the words spoken for the fallen Marine as they stared at the scene before them. Nikita gave no reaction at all until the guns were fired. With each shot, her slim body jerked as if she felt each bullet herself. It took every ounce of discipline she had to not run from the room. For the first time she realized her other half was gone forever. It just hadn't seemed real until now.

"I'll see that you get the flag, Miss Stewart." Vance spoke softly.

"Thank you, sir," Nikita whispered. "Could I ask one favor?"

"Of course."

"Is there any way I could get a copy of my brother's service record?" Nikita didn't look up, but no one was surprised by her request.

"Consider it done," Vance said. "I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Me too." Nikita fought back the tears that were threatening. She really didn't want to lose it here. "Thank you."

Abby gave her a tearful hug and said, "You've got my number. If you need anything, you call me, okay?"

"I will." Nikita hugged Abby hard. She could tell the forensic scientist felt her friends' pain as keenly as if it were her own. "Come by later?"

Abby nodded and fled MTAC. McGee followed after a moment. Then the dark-haired girl sank into the nearest sear, visibly trembling from the effort of keeping her emotions in check. Ziva sat beside her and spoke softly in Hebrew, offering what little solace she could. Vance quietly excused himself, leaving Gibbs and Tony standing a short distance away.

"We should get them back to the house." Gibbs spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb the two.

"Boss, I don't know how to handle this," Tony admitted. "I'm worried about Ziva. She's really hurting bad."

"I know, Tony," Gibbs answered. "Just be with her. She's gonna need a friend, and most likely you're the only one she'll let in right now."

"I just hope I can help. It kills me knowing that..." Tony broke off as Ziva helped Nikita up and led her toward them.

"We should go," Ziva said in a voice barely above a whisper. Silently the four of them left MTAC and headed for the elevator.

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Two hours after their return to the house, Nikita still hadn't spoken a word. She had accepted a large glass of bourbon from Gibbs, but had yet to drink it. She just sat starting mutely out the window, unable to process the day's events. Ziva watched her with growing concern and finally drew Gibbs aside.

"What are we going to do?" she asked. "We cannot help her if she doesn't speak to us!"

"I called Ducky," was his response. "Right now the best thing would be for her to pass out and sleep—at least she'd be away from this for a little while."

"I know how she feels, Gibbs," Ziva blinked hard, but a few tears escaped down her cheeks. "I wish I did not."

"Hey." Gibbs reached out to her for the second time that day. "Just remember you're not all alone here. Me and DiNozzo—we've got your six, Ziver."

She managed a small smile at Gibbs' pet name for her and she hugged him tightly, thankful he was there. Gibbs had often treated her like a daughter and was more of a father to her than her own had ever been. As he held her closer, she asked, "Do you think you could talk to her?"

"I can try." Gibbs stepped back to look into her eyes, seeing the toll her own pain was taking. "In the meantime I want you and DiNozzo to get some rest. It's going to be a long night."

"Maybe later," Ziva whispered.

"It wasn't a suggestion," Gibbs told her firmly. "You look like hell."

"Thanks a lot," she answered dryly.

"Tony's worried about you," Gibbs continued. "He can see that you're hurting and he wants to help. If you'd let your guard down for a minute he could really help you through this."

"I know that, Gibbs," Ziva sighed. Then she looked up with a small smile. "What about your Rule 12?"

"What about it?"

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"DiNozzo."

Tony looked up at Gibbs, wondering what the hell he'd done now. When Ziva had come back into the living room, she sat next to him and snuggled into his side. She hadn't moved or spoken and quickly fell into a light sleep.

"Yeah, Boss." Tony kept his voice low, not wanting to wake his sleeping partner.

"Put her to bed," Gibbs said in the same tone. "Stay with her and make sure she gets some rest."

"Are you sure that's okay? You know, Rule 12?" Tony winced as Gibbs smacked him lightly.

"Don't be a smartass, DiNozzo." Gibbs fixed him with the famous stare. "Ziva can't take on this case alone, no matter how hard she tries. It's too close to home for her to view this objectively. She needs you to have her back."

"Always," Tony answered without hesitation. "Boss, I'd do anything to take away all that pain she's going through. It's breaking her heart and there's nothing I can do."

"You love her, don't you?" Gibbs interrupted quietly. Tony stared at him in surprise. "Just take care of her. She needs you."

Tony gently lifted Ziva in his arms, hoping he wouldn't wake her. She briefly opened her eyes as he laid on the bed, but fell back to sleep almost immediately. Tony looked up and saw Gibbs standing in the doorway. "Thanks, Boss."

"Try to sleep, Tony." Gibbs smiled a little as Tony settled beside Ziva, wrapping her in a protective embrace. Silently he closed the bedroom door to allow them some quiet and privacy, then took a deep breath before turning his attention to the broken soul in the next room.

"Hey, kid." Gibbs sat quietly beside her on the small sofa. "That stuff would do a lot more good if you actually drank it."

"I keep thinking this is some nightmare," Nikita whispered, staring at the liquor glass. "Is this real, Gibbs? 'Cause if it's not I must have gone off the deep end."

"It's real enough." Gibbs picked up the glass and handed it to her as the doorbell rang. "Drink up, kid. It'll help."

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Gibbs was relieved to see Ducky with Abby and McGee. He knew too well how Nikita felt right now, but he was truly at a loss how to help.

"How is she, Jethro?" Ducky asked as Abby went to hug her friend, McGee following.

"Not very talkative, Duck," Gibbs answered. He shook his head sadly. "I know how it feels to lose a family, but not the way she has. It's not the same."

"Jethro, from what you and Abby have told me—and from what I personally have observed—Nikita has only had her brother for support since their parents died," Ducky answered. "Losing him in any circumstance would be difficult enough, but he was also her twin. It is no surprise that she is devastated. I have read cases of twins being aware of one another's pain even when they were on opposite sides of the world."

"What can we do, Duck?" Gibbs asked. "She's about to go up against one of the deadliest killers alive and she's out for blood. And obviously he's trying to kill her too."

"So are we aiding or protecting her?" Ducky asked softly. His heart nearly broke at the thought of the young woman either falling prey to a killer or becoming that killer herself. "Poor dear. She is going to need a good friend to talk to. She seemed to bond with Ziva..."

"Yes, she has," Gibbs agreed quickly. "But this is a very painful case for her too—remember she lost a brother too. Right now Tony's taking care of her."

"In that case," Ducky said, "I should have a talk with our young friend. She should know that we are there for her."

As Ducky went to talk to Nikita, Abby hugged her one more time before letting him take her place and moving to Gibbs' side. "Gibbs, is she gonna be okay?"

"C'mere, Abs." Gibbs hugged her tight. "We're gonna make sure she's all right. I promise."

"Where are Tony and Ziva?" Abby asked in a small voice. "I thought Ziva would still be here—you know, it's funny, they look so much alike, they could be related..."

"Hello, Abby," Ziva interrupted softly. She looked on the verge of total collapse now—dark circles under her eyes emphasized how pale she was and her clothes were rumpled from the pitiful amount of restless sleep she'd gotten. Abby let go of Gibbs and hugged her tightly. To her surprise, Ziva accepted and returned the hug.

"I thought I told you and DiNozzo to get some rest, Officer David," Gibbs said sternly.

"I couldn't sleep," Ziva answered. "Tony is sleeping and I didn't want to wake him."

"Too late, Sweet Cheeks." Tony's voice came from behind them. He slipped an arm around her as he added, "When you got up, I was awake."

Ziva nodded, but didn't reply as she leaned against Tony. Truthfully she was exhausted but she was afraid to sleep. The day had brought back too many bad memories and there would be no peace for her tonight.

"Both of you come sit down before you fall over," Abby ordered, practically dragging Tony and Ziva into the living room. Nikita looked up as they came in, her eyes glazed over. Apparently Ducky had convinced her to finish off the glass of bourbon, and from the look in her eyes it hadn't done nearly enough. Behind a thin alcoholic haze her eyes gave away the hell she was going through.

"Guess it's for real, huh?" she said dully. Ducky pulled her into a compassionate hug.

"I wish it were not, my dear," he said gently. "But we're here for you. All of us."

_Okay, I'm not a hundred percent happy with this chapter, but I think I managed to gauge character reactions to this situation. And I hope I managed to write Ducky in character—he's really tough to write!_

_CaliBrat _


	10. Going somewhere?

**Going Somewhere?**

_Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! It's good to know I'm managing to get the characters right here!_

_Disclaimer : oh, come on we all know I own nothing!_

"Tony, when was the last time you guys had a meal?" McGee asked quietly, watching as Abby and Ziva each accepted a glass of bourbon from Gibbs.

"This morning," Tony answered in the same tone. "We ate a late breakfast—brunch—whatever."

McGee just nodded. "Look, I'm gonna take Abby to get some food and you guys all need to eat too. We'll go pick something up."

"Not a bad plan. There's a pretty good pizza place not too far from here," Tony agreed. After a second he pulled out his wallet and handed McGee some money. "It's on me this time."

"Tony, you don't have to." McGee said.

"I know, Probie." Tony looked over at Ziva, wishing he could do more for her. "I'd just like to find some way to help."

McGee smiled and patted his shoulder. "You're a good man, DiNozzo."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Going somewhere?"

Nikita turned to face Ziva, the knife she had drawn from her waist glinting in her hand. She was dressed in her black assassin's wear and had obviously been about to slip out the open window. "That's a good way to get yourself killed."

"Nikita, you're in no shape to fight." Ziva spoke gently as she closed the window. "You've been through a lot of pain and you are drunk. Do you really think you can fight the Black Dragon in this state?"

"He killed my brother because of me!" Nikita shouted, her voice breaking. Part of her realized she would never have been so irrational if she were sober, but she couldn't stop herself. "I should have been there to begin with...maybe I could have stopped it then!"

Slowly she sank to her knees as she realized her opportunity to escape unnoticed was gone. The knife in her hand fell to the floor with a metallic clatter.

"Hey." Ziva knelt beside the younger woman and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I want you to listen carefully, okay? You are only responsible for your own actions, no one else's. My brother—he was supposed to infiltrate and bring down a Hammas cell. Instead, he betrayed us all and joined them. I didn't want to believe that he would do such a thing, not my own brother. And then he killed Agent Todd." She paused for a moment to be sure Nikita was listening. "When I came to NCIS I was sure that I would be held responsible for his betrayal."

"And?" Nikita finally met her eyes.

"Someone recently pointed out to me that his actions were not my own. I was given a chance to start over." Ziva smiled and tucked a stray curl behind Nikita's ear. "I'd like to do the same for you, _tateleh._ If you'll let me."

"Why does it matter?" Nikita demanded. "You got stuck with me as a protection detail, not--"

"We've already been over that." Ziva spoke a little more sharply than she'd meant to. "Nikita, I'm not accustomed to talking about feelings. But I know you need a friend."

"I don't want to get you killed too," Nikita confessed in a whisper. "You're a really good person, Ziva..."

"So are you," Ziva answered. "I can't bring your brother back, but I can be your friend. If that's what you want."

Nikita managed a weak smile, then hugged Ziva tightly, burying her face in her shoulder. "Does it ever stop hurting?"

"It gets better in time," Ziva told her gently. "I don't think it ever really goes away, but it does get better. It helps if you have good friends also."

"Like Tony?" Nikita looked up with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "You really like him, don't you?"

"He is a good man," Ziva admitted, feeling her cheeks grow warm. "And he has been a very good friend."

"So have you." Tony spoke quietly from the doorway. "It got quiet and I got worried. Everything okay?"

"I think maybe I will be," Nikita answered, trying to stand but losing her balance and crashing to the floor. Ziva helped her up, trying not to laugh—the girl was more intoxicated than she had realized.

"Ducky and Abby just left, but wanted to tell you that you can call if you need anything," Tony said, but he couldn't hide his grin. "And I'd say right now you need to sleep—you're wasted."

Nikita giggled, then began to laugh so hard she had to sit down on the bed. Tony's comment hadn't really been funny, but the alcohol she'd downed made everything seem funny all of a sudden.

"Wasted is not the word—more like totally hammered," she giggled, trying to catch her breath. "I'm gonna have one hell of a headache in the morning."

"Probably." Gibbs spoke up. "So instead of going hunting tonight, how about you sleep it off?"

"I think that's a good idea," Nikita yawned, the headache already beginning. "I owe you guys for coming with me earlier."

"We are a team." Ziva spoke softly as she sat down beside Nikita. "We take care of each other."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"She's asleep," Ziva announced as she came back into the living room twenty minutes later. "Just how much **_DID_** she drink?"

"Enough, if it makes her sleep the night through," Gibbs answered. "Something you should try too."

"Not very likely," Ziva muttered as Tony walked in wearing sweats and a T-shirt.

"Shower's free," he grinned. "Your turn."

"I had one earlier," Ziva shot back. "You were distracted by that extra-large pizza McGee brought."

"Good, then you should be ready for bed," Gibbs smirked. "Ziva, you can't tell me you're not tired, not after all you've been through today."

She started to protest, but Tony quickly silenced her. "Ziva, go get ready for bed. I'll put on a movie for us okay? I even brought your movie shirt."

"Really?" She gave him a tiny smile, feeling the first glimmer of hope that maybe things were going to get better.

"Really." Tony drew her into a warm hug. He whispered in her ear, "Now how about you go get changed. We'll watch a movie and fall asleep on the couch like we used to, okay?"

"Okay." She pulled away reluctantly and disappeared into the bedroom.

"'Movie shirt', DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked as Tony sat down.

"Yeah. We, uh, used to have regular movie nights," Tony answered. He felt a twinge of guilt when he thought of why they'd stopped. Squashing that thought, he continued, " Anyway, Ziva would fall asleep sometimes or it would just get really late, so I'd loan her something to sleep in and she would stay the night. I took the couch."

"I didn't ask," Gibbs returned.

"I know, just thought I'd clarify," Tony grinned. "I've got this one particular Ohio State shirt that Ziva always borrowed, so I got it out for her every movie night. She said it was the most comfortable cause it's about four sizes too big for her. I brought it here thinking it might come in handy."

"It did," Ziva said softly, taking a seat next to Tony and cuddling into him. "Thank you, Tony."

"Hey, it's okay," he murmured, placing a kiss on her temple. "I should have started having our movie nights again."

"Both of you need to sleep," Gibbs interrupted firmly.

"I'm fine," Ziva protested automatically, but Tony laid a finger over her lips.

"You're a bad liar when you're tired," he told her. Slowly he leaned back against the couch cushions, taking Ziva with him so she was lying half on top of him. "Get some rest, Sweet Cheeks."

"You forgot the movie, Tony," she smiled, pushing herself up off him. "And I need a blanket and a coffee."  
As she went into the kitchen, Gibbs followed. "The last thing you need is caffeine, Ziva."

"It doesn't matter, Gibbs," she snapped. "I will sleep when I'm tired enough."

"Officer David, you are on assignment," Gibbs snapped back. Something was seriously wrong here. He knew Ziva was exhausted and he was determined to find out why she so stubbornly refused to sleep. "If there is something preventing you from doing your job, then you better tell me. Now."

Ziva found she couldn't look him in the eye, so instead she turned and busied herself with the coffee pot. Gibbs caught her wrists and steered her to a chair, forcing her to sit down. Still she refused to look at him.

"What's got you so scared, Ziva?" Gibbs spoke softly now. When her head jerked up and she glared at him, he knew he'd struck a nerve.

"It's stupid...childish." Ziva looked away again, ashamed that she could be so easily read. To allow personal issues to cloud her judgment so badly was inexcusable.

"Nightmares?" Gibbs asked, gently taking her hands in his. "Hey. Look at me, Ziver."

"I'll be okay," she said, almost whispering, trying to salvage what was left of her pride. "Really."

"I know you will," he smiled. "And I think it's time you let me help too. Ducky brought some sedatives in case the kid needed some help sleeping. He thought they might do you some good too."

"I don't know, Gibbs..."Ziva broke off, not knowing how to continue. Part of her wanted to accept and just fall into oblivion for just one night so badly. At last she nodded her assent and Gibbs rose to get the pills and a glass of water. "How quickly do they work?"

"Pretty fast according to Ducky. He said you'd start feeling the effects in about a half hour or so," Gibbs answered. "They'll probably knock you out for most of the night."  
"What about Nikita?" Ziva asked worriedly. "She was about to go after the Black Dragon earlier. If I had not checked on her, she would have gotten herself killed!"

"That's why I'm staying," Gibbs patted her shoulder. "Look, let me worry about protection detail tonight. You get some sleep."

"Gibbs?" she asked as he started to the living room. "I..."

"You're welcome," he smiled back.

_Hope ya'll enjoyed it!_

_CaliBrat_


	11. Movie night

**Movie night**

_A/N : Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing this!! I didn't get a chance to post last night because my parents were in town for a visit, but I'm going to reward your patience with a 3-chapter update tonight! Thanks again you guys!!_

"What movie are we watching?" Ziva asked as she sat beside Tony. Although she had a feeling that in a short while it wouldn't really matter once the sedative had kicked in.

"Why don't you get comfortable first?" Tony asked. "You're gonna be getting sleepy before long and you really need to rest."

"I want to check on Nikita one more time," Ziva answered. "I don't want her sneaking out while we're sleeping."

"I'll do it," Gibbs broke in. "You two get settled."

He walked down the hall to the smaller bedroom, chuckling to himself as he heard the loud snoring coming through the door. Nikita had put away nearly half a bottle of bourbon and he wasn't surprised to see she was out cold when he eased open the door. He silently closed it again, moving quietly back to the living room.

"She still sleeping, Boss?" Tony asked, looking up from where he lay curled around Ziva.

"And snoring like a pack of bears," Gibbs answered, grinning. "Something else you three have in common."

"Then maybe we should all sleep in here," Ziva mumbled sleepily. She looked over at Gibbs as he sat down on the other sofa. "I think maybe those pills work faster than Ducky told you."

"A big part of it is that you're exhausted already, Ziva," Gibbs told her. "And since everything is under control, I'm ordering you to relax and enjoy...whatever DiNozzo picked out."

"_The Russia House_," Tony volunteered. "Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer. Half spy movie, half chick flick."

"I read the book, if it's the same story," Ziva yawned, snuggling back into Tony. "It was good."

"You'll be asleep long before it's over, Sweet Cheeks," Tony murmured, kissing her temple and smiling as she relaxed in his arms.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Excellent." The Black Dragon sat back in his chair and smiled with cruel satisfaction. "You have done well."

"I could take them out tonight," argued the young man seated across from him.

"No. Let them get complacent first. They will not be going anywhere and we have only to be patient."

"Yes, Father." The young man bowed and left the room.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Boss?" Tony spoke softly, afraid he might disturb the woman nestled against him. She had fallen into somewhat restless sleep shortly after the movie began.

"You're not gonna wake her that easily," Gibbs answered, but he too spoke softly. "She'll probably be out until morning."

"I just don't know what to do," Tony admitted. "Ziva's always been the one to keep it together when there's a crisis, you know? Right now I just wish we'd never gotten this case."

"So does Nikita," Gibbs pointed out. "She knows what Ziva's going through."

"You think that's why she tried to take off tonight?"

"Partly. But I think her logic was that the Black Dragon would leave us alone if she left." Gibbs shook his head. "We've got to get it through her head that she's not thinking straight. We all know what she's capable of—hell, we _saw_ it firsthand, but right now she needs time to heal."

"She's not the only one," Tony sighed, cuddling Ziva a little closer.

"You're doing fine with her," Gibbs assured him. "You know, I noticed from the first case the two of you worked that you connected really well and that it made you both better agents. Partnerships like that are pretty damned rare."

"Tell me about it." Tony smiled a little now. "Sometimes I think she knows me better than I know myself."

"Nothing wrong with that," Gibbs answered. "Ziva needs somebody she can trust to have her back."

"Boss, how can she still trust me so much?" Tony asked. "I've let her down so many times. And then that whole mess with Jeanne..."

"Okay, I'm only gonna say this once, DiNozzo, so you better listen." Gibbs spoke softly but sternly. When he was sure he had Tony's full attention, he continued. "You were following orders. She understood that. She got so upset because she didn't know that you were on an undercover assignment. Given your medical history it's not surprising she got worried about you."

"The way I treated her was unforgivable. She tried to help and I just kept pushing her away..." Tony broke off as Ziva turned in his arms and snuggled into his chest, murmuring his name. "Shh. I'm here, baby. It's okay."

"You're here now, Tony." Gibbs sat back and finished the last of his coffee. "Get her to bed. You both need a good night's sleep."

"Is that an order, Boss?" Tony asked with a trace of his smart-ass grin.

"Don't make me kick your ass, DiNozzo."

_Bet you all forgot about the Black Dragon! BTW, I just realized that I misspelled Hamas in a former chapter and there were some typos in previous chapters as well—that's what you get for typing when you're loaded with bourbon LOL!_

_CaliBrat_


	12. I know

**I know**

The pounding headache woke Nikita the following morning, but she counted herself lucky that was the only price to pay for last night's binge. She slowly dragged herself from the bed, noticing two aspirin and a glass of water on the nightstand. She swallowed the pills quickly and made her way to the bathroom for a shower.

Fifteen minutes later she exited the bathroom feeling much more human and was greeted with the welcome smell of coffee brewing. She quickly tossed her clothes into her room, making a mental note to tidy up later and headed for the kitchen.

"Good morning, Agent Gibbs, she said as she entered the kitchen. "You stayed the night?"

"You don't seem too surprised," he answered.

"I saw the other bedroom door was still closed, so I figured you had to be the one making coffee." Nikita gratefully accepted a mug from him. "Thanks for the aspirin too."

"That bad, huh?" Gibbs asked.

"I've had worse," Nikita admitted. "But it's been a long time since I got **_THAT _**drunk."

"Nobody could blame you, kid," Gibbs assured her. "But if you try running off again like that, I'll chain your ass down."

"I can't let you guys get caught in this mess," Nikita answered, glaring right back at him. "You have no idea what this has been like. My parents and brother were murdered and I'm not even sure why. The only way to find out is from the Black Dragon. And if he won't tell me, then at least I can get some closure."

"By killing him?" Gibbs asked. "Do you really think that will make any difference? Because it won't. Nothing will bring them back. Believe me, I know."

"I know that, sir. I read the dossier Mossad has on you." Nikita sighed unhappily and stared into her coffee. "But I also know the Dragon won't stop hunting me down. This has to end."

"And you're willing to throw away your life to do it?" Gibbs demanded.

"What kind of a life do you think I have??" Nikita shouted, slamming her hands down on the table and getting to her feet. "I live afraid to sleep because the Dragon _might_ show up. I can't have friends because they could be used to get to me or could be killed because they know me! I've made a fortune as an assassin, but I can't even enjoy it! Instead I spend every free minute trying to think of a reason not to cut my own throat. _Goddammit, I wish that motherfucker had just put a bullet in my head too!_"

Nikita sank back into her chair, tears flooding down her cheeks and sobs racking her slender frame. Gibbs gently drew her close, understanding her pain more than he wanted to. Hell, he had had the same thoughts himself from time to time after Shannon and Kelly had been killed.

"I know, kid," he said quietly. "I know."

When the shouting started, Tony jolted into full alert mode—just in time to tighten his hold on Ziva as she tried to bolt out of bed. More asleep than awake, she struggled to free herself from the restraint.

"Ziva, it's okay, it's just me. It's okay." Tony kept talking soothingly, rubbing her back tenderly until she calmed down and slowly met his gaze.

"Tony?" Ziva felt a rush of confusion, not sure what had yanked her from sleep so abruptly. But then Nikita's shouts brought her fully awake. "Tony, let go of me!"

"Be quiet, it's gonna be okay," he hissed. "Gibbs is the one she's yelling at in there. You really wanna get caught in **_THAT_** crossfire?"

Ziva went limp against his chest the fight left her. "No."

"Let Gibbs talk some sense into her for a while," Tony advised. He kept stroking her back as she rested her head on his shoulder. "It'll be okay. Really."

"She needs help, Tony."

"I know, angel." He gently kissed her hair. "We're gonna help her. Just let the boss talk to her for a little while, okay?"

"What if she won't listen?" Ziva whispered, voicing her worst fears. "I think she wants to die, Tony. There is nothing we can do if she gets away from us."

"Not gonna happen," Tony stated firmly. "I won't blow this protection detail."

"You have never stopped blaming yourself." Ziva raised herself up on her elbows to look into his eyes. "Jenny knew what she was doing, Tony. Please stop breaking yourself up."

"I can't," Tony sighed. "It's my fault for not listening to you."

"I could have left you at the hotel," Ziva pointed out, running her fingertips across his chest. "I chose to follow her orders too."

"But Jenny was your friend, Ziva." Tony fought back tears, remembering that horrible day. "And mine too. I should have protected her better..."

"Why didn't I?" Ziva challenged him. Then her expression softened. "It's not your fault—it never was. You must forgive yourself, Tony, even though you did nothing wrong."

"I can't believe you can say that," he said softly, letting his hand caress her face. "How can you still believe in me so much?"

"I could say the same," Ziva answered. "I am lucky to have a friend like you in my life."

"Same here." Tony smiled and gently pulled her into his arms again. Then he added firmly, "And I promise we're gonna keep that kid safe. I won't let you down again."

"Oh, _Tony_." Ziva's eyes filled with tears as she realized just how deeply Jenny's death had hurt him. "Why did you never tell me you felt that way?"

"It was my fault, Ziva." Tony clutched her tighter and buried his face in her hair. "I should have listened to you. If I had..."

"Then one or both of us would be dead also," Ziva finished. "Jenny couldn't have lived with that. You know I'm right, Tony."

He didn't answer, but Ziva knew he had understood her meaning. She just held him, gently running a hand through his hair to comfort him. Slowly his grip on her loosened as he regained his composure.

"Sorry," he whispered. "I'm supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around."

"We are partners, Tony. We take care of each other." Ziva pulled away slightly to look into his eyes. "And if anything, I have not taken care of you as I should have. You are so much a part of my life, Anthony DiNozzo. I honestly cannot imagine how it would be to not see you every day, hear your movie quotes..."

"Correct your English," Tony grinned up at her. "How do you do that?"

"What?"

"How do you always know what to say?" he asked, brushing back her hair. "You always know when I need you—even before I know."

"Because I care about you," she whispered, leaning down to kiss him gently, then snuggling close to his chest. "And I don't like seeing someone I love in so much pain."

"Someone you love?" Tony repeated, stunned. "Me?"

"Yes, you!" A flash of irritation colored her voice. "Is it so hard for you to believe I could love you, Tony?"

"Ziva..." Tony honestly didn't know how to respond. He had loved her for so long, but he'd been sure she wouldn't feel the same way. And he certainly hadn't expected her to frankly admit her feelings.

"I **DO** love you, Tony. I think maybe from the first time I saw you." Ziva nuzzled his neck, wanting to make him believe. It killed her to see him in pain and she would never lie to him about this. "I have never trusted anyone the way I trust you. In Mossad we are told that there is no place for trust—or love—that it is weakness. But I find that I no longer think that way. I cannot, and...it scares me."

"This scares me too," Tony admitted softly. "I love you so much, Ziva. More than anything in the world. I know we never talk like this, about feelings and all, and I don't want to screw this up. So, where do we go from here?"

"What?" Ziva was confused by Tony's question. "Do you mean Gibbs?"

"Gibbs, Vance...your father," Tony answered. "I can't imagine any of them are gonna be too pleased."

"I think Gibbs will be," Ziva smiled, remembering the conversations they had had. "He encouraged me to accept your help."

"He **_DID_** seem to give his blessing, didn't he?" Tony mused, laughing softly. "Guess we'd better not screw up then."

"Indeed," Ziva agreed, kissing him again. Then her expression hardened. "As for my father...I really don't give a damn what he thinks about our relationship. He will not separate us again."

"No," Tony said softly. "Because I'm not letting you go anywhere without me."

_Let me know what you think. These last two chapters have been really angsty, but things are gonna lighten up before taking a darker turn again! There will be more interaction with Ducky coming soon and Abby will be making an appearance again too:)_

_CaliBrat_


	13. Girl talk

**Girl talk**

_A/N : don't let the title fool you—this won't be your typical "girl talk"!_

"Sorry, Gibbs." Nikita sat back, wiping her eyes. "I shouldn't have unloaded on you like that."

"Never apologize, it's a sign of weakness," he answered, lightly head slapping her. "Besides, it seems to have done you good."

"It's just—oh, hell, I can't explain it," Nikita sighed in frustration. "You guys have all been so nice, and you didn't have to be..."

Gibbs smiled and gently ruffled her hair. He noticed Tony and Ziva standing quietly in the doorway, but Nikita's back was to them and she was still unaware of their presence.

"It's been a long time since you had a family, kid," Gibbs remarked quietly.

"Yeah." Nikita sighed again. "It's weird, but really late at night is when I miss it the most. For years I've done nothing but fight and kill—there's no way I can go back, but..."

"You are mistaken, _tateleh_." Ziva spoke up quietly, feeling almost as if she were speaking to a younger version of herself—before she had found her "family" at NCIS. "I used to feel the same way--"

Ziva broke of f as Nikita stood and engulfed her in a very Abby-like hug. "I'm so sorry about last night, Ziva, really. And I promise it won't happen again."

"Shh. It's all right. There is nothing to be sorry for." Ziva hugged her tightly, barely noticing as Tony and Gibbs slipped out of the kitchen. Nikita clung to her, shaking as she fought back tears. "You have a family here with us, if you want. We are here for you."

"How did this happen without me seeing it?" Nikita asked. "Somehow in just a couple of days..."

"I know." Ziva smiled and drew back a little, gently brushing a stray lock of hair out of Nikita's eyes. "Sometimes, though, a tragedy brings people together. That seems especially true of NCIS."

"It's crazy, but it feels like I've known you guys forever." Nikita shook her head, smiling a little. Then she snickered. "No wonder Gibbs gets so cranky with all of us as his kids!"

"I heard that, kid," Gibbs said with a laugh. "And I only get 'cranky' if someone spills my coffee."

"Why not just get another cup of coffee?" Nikita grinned. "Wouldn't that be easier?"

"Don't make me slap you again," Gibbs said mock-sternly, unable to fully suppress his grin.

"Please, my head aches enough," Nikita giggled. "And don't remind me...I did it to myself."

"Aww, would we do that?" Tony smirked as he walked in. Nikita shot him a mock glare.

"**YOU** would," she told him, but she started to smile. "Something tells me you like to remind people of stupid stuff they did."

"That's to cover for all the stunts he's pulled," Gibbs added.

"Yes, like the time you put super glue on McGee's keyboard," Ziva grinned.

"Oh, now that's just mean!" Nikita laughed. "But I bet it was pretty damn funny. How'd he get it off?"

"I think Abby finally rescued him," Tony said. "And speaking of our mistress of the dark, she just called to say she's coming over with some of her famous gumbo."

"That sounds good," Nikita said. Then she grew more serious. "Is there any news?"

"Nope." Gibbs shook his head. "Even if there was, you're not doing anything for the next few days."

"Why?" Nikita demanded, sounding almost like a teenager being denied car privileges. "Because of yesterday?"

"Because you will need to be at your best," Ziva interrupted quietly. "Your family is safe. Now it's time for you to care for yourself."

"If it weren't for me they really wouldn't be in this mess," Nikita pointed out. "I owe it to them to finish this as quickly as possible, don't I?"

"Not at the cost of your life," Gibbs answered softly.

Before Nikita could respond, Ziva spoke up again. "Come with me."

Silently she led Nikita to the bedroom she and Tony shared. She closed the door before speaking again. "I cannot watch while you get yourself killed, Nikita."

"I want justice for my parents and my brother," the young assassin answered, fury darkening her eyes. "Believe me, suicide is_** NOT**_ part of that plan!"

"Prove it!" Ziva shot back. "Because I do not believe it is justice that you want—it is revenge."

Nikita froze and Ziva prayed she hadn't crossed the line. She knew pissing off the girl was a bad idea, but damn it, there was no other way to make her see reason!

"That was a cheap shot, Ziva," Nikita said softly as she perched on the edge of the bed.

"Not if it makes you listen." Ziva sat beside her cautiously. "I felt the same way when Tali was killed."

"You really loved her a lot." Nikita felt terrible that she had forgotten. "I'm sorry."

"My father should have shown you her picture," Ziva smiled gently. "You really could be her sister."

"I wish I'd seen one," Nikita answered softly.

"Here." Ziva drew out her ID and slipped a small photograph from a hidden slot. "I carry it with me everywhere now."

"Could you tell me about her sometime? I mean, if it's okay," Nikita asked hesitantly.

"I will, but first I want you to make me a promise," Ziva answered. "Promise you will take care of yourself for a day or two. I _do_ know how you feel, but can you honestly say that you are physically or mentally capable of taking on the Black Dragon? Be truthful."

"I guess I'm not exactly in top form," Nikita admitted with a sigh. "But I'm just so tired of hiding, you know? I want to know what it's like to have a _life_ again."

"What will you do when this is over?" Ziva asked. "There will be no reason to hide anymore, and you have the means to do just about whatever you want."

Nikita lay back on the bed, lacing her fingers behind her head. "I never gave it any thought."

"Why not?" Ziva wanted to know.

"I'm not sure," Nikita answered, sitting up. "How weird is that?"

"Perhaps you felt you would be unsuccessful in your mission?" Ziva asked. "I don't think that will happen. You are highly skilled, and we have your back."

"I'm really gonna miss you guys," Nikita admitted. "Maybe I could come back and visit sometime—you know, as long as it would be okay?"

"Of course it is!" Ziva couldn't believe Nikita would actually ask such a ridiculous question. "You have already forgotten you are part of our team!"

"I **DO** remember," Nikita grinned sheepishly. "But I didn't know if you'd be okay with an assassin hanging around the squad room after this case is done."

"You could always join NCIS," Ziva pointed out. "I would think that your particular skills would be an asset to any agency."

"I'd have to think about it," Nikita said slowly. "I'd have to get a lot of things in order, but..I promise I _**WILL**_ think about it."

_Have a great week everybody!!_

_CaliBrat_


	14. Gumbo and more girl talk

**Gumbo and more girl talk**

_A/N : Yeah, right, like I own NCIS! Although my birthday is next week, so..._

"Hey, something smells great!" Nikita said, coming into the kitchen. Abby looked up from the slow cooker and ran to hug her, then Ziva.

"Oh my gosh, are you guys OK, when I didn't see you I got worried and..."

"Abby...I...can't breathe," Ziva gasped, interrupting her friend's rambling.

"Oh, sorry!" Abby quickly let go. "Seriously, are you guys okay?"

"Not yet, but getting there," Ziva answered, smiling as Nikita began inspecting the contents of the slow cooker. "I think I may have been able to convince her to rest for a couple of days."

"Hey, what's in this?" Nikita wanted to know. "It smells really yummy!"

"Well, I made it with just chicken this time around 'cause I wasn't sure what you liked," Abby grinned. "But you can put in just about anything—shrimp, oysters, sausage. They even make an all-vegetarian one for Lent. It's basically just good old New Orleans comfort food."

"Something you both need," Tony murmured in Ziva's ear. She leaned back against him as his arms slid around her and he gently kissed her temple as they watched Abby's animated discussion of New Orleans cuisine. "Come on."

"Where's Gibbs?" Ziva asked quietly, letting Tony lead her to the sofa.

"He went to update Vance." Tony pulled her onto his lap and held her close. "And it looks like Abby has the kid sidetracked for a bit. I thought maybe you'd like a chance to relax for a minute."

"Mm." Ziva snuggled into him and rested her head against his shoulder, welcoming the chance to just be in his arms.

"Awww, you guys are SO cute!" Abby squealed. "I always knew you were perfect for each other!"

"And that reminds me—where did you manage to get an engagement ring on such short notice?" Nikita asked, climbing over the back of the sofa to land next to them. "I saw it before and meant to ask, but I kept forgetting."

"It was my mom's," Tony answered, giving a soft smile as he clasped Ziva's hand in his. "She gave it to me hoping I'd find a nice girl to settle down with someday."

"That's really sweet!" Abby grinned. "She wanted to to be happy, Tony."

"Or to make sure he ate something other than pizza," Ziva teased gently.

"Hey!" Tony protested, but he couldn't help laughing. "Contrary to popular belief, I **_CAN_** cook, you know!"

"Does that mean you're cooking breakfast again?" Nikita asked. "Cause let me tell you, I could get used to eating like that every day!"

"And then you would be fat!" Ziva finished, laughing.

"Not on my watch," Gibbs broke in. Abby jumped up to hug their boss. "Hey, Abs."

"How the hell does he **DO** that?" Nikita demanded. "I didn't even hear him come in!"

"It keeps you guessing," Abby laughed. "You never know when Gibbs is going to turn up!"

"Yeah, so you have to be on your best behavior," Tony smirked, still holding Ziva on his lap. She laughed and kissed him gently.

"Well, that explains the two of you playing grab-ass." Gibbs didn't bother to try hiding his grin. Secretly he was glad to see them together, even though he did worry about things going wrong. But even he had to admit they were right for each other—more than right, they were part of each other.

"Hey, there has been no ass-grabbing around me!" Nikita giggled, breaking into sudden laughter. "And believe me, I don't _want_ to see any!"

"Jealous?" Tony smirked. Ziva smacked his chest lightly. "OW! What was that for?"

"Teasing my little sister," she smiled back. "I believe that is **_MY_** job, yes?"

Nikita bolted from the room.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Nikita?" Ziva knocked very softly on her door, not really expecting an answer. She had no idea what had just happened, but she was determined to know where she'd screwed up. Silently Ziva prayed that she hadn't made a mistake she couldn't undo. "May I come in?"

When she still received no answer, Ziva took a deep breath and eased open the door. The sight that greeted her nearly broke her heart. Nikita lay facing away from the door, curled into a tight ball and shaking violently. Not knowing what else to do, Ziva lay down beside the girl, curling around her as she had done when Tali needed comforting.

"I'm sorry, _tateleh_," she whispered. "I never meant to cause you more pain."

"Did you mean what you said?" Nikita asked quietly after a long silence. Did Ziva really want her for a sister?

"Yes." Ziva held Nikita closer. "I know I cannot replace your brother..."

"Any more than I can replace Tali," Nikita finished softly through her tears. "But I'd do anything to give her back to you."

"Shh." Ziva wasn't sure how to make things okay again, but she had to try. "I loved my sister very much. But she would not have wanted me to dwell upon her loss and forget the good times. The past cannot be changed, _tateleh_."

"Don't you ever wish that it could?" Nikita whispered, twining her fingers around Ziva's.

"It would serve no purpose." Ziva spoke softly, hoping she would find the right thing to say. "I think we become who we are because of the events of our lives. If you change that, you would not be the person you are."

"Change the past and you change the present?" Nikita sighed.

"Something like that," Ziva agreed. "And just because the present would be different does not necessarily mean it would be better. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, I think so." Nikita swiped the back of her hand across her eyes. "Sorry. I'm not usually such a mess."

"You've been through hell and back in the last few days!" Ziva exclaimed. "I would be worried if you **WEREN'T** a basket box!"

"Basket **_case_**," Nikita corrected with a soft laugh. " I know you don't do that on purpose, but I'm glad you messed up that one."

"So am I," Ziva smiled and hugged her tightly. "Because it made you laugh again."

"You're a good big sister." Nikita squeezed her hand. "Tali was really lucky."

"I will always be there when you need me." Ziva sent out a silent prayer that she would never have to break that promise. Then she felt a sudden rush of amusement. "Listen, Abby was ready to break down the door because she was worried about you. By now Gibbs may have had to tie her down."

"Oh, god, I really made an ass of myself this time," Nikita moaned in embarrassment. "I don't usually just freak out like that."

"I think it will be overlooked," Ziva smiled. "The gumbo she made is ready. Do you feel like you could eat some?"

"Maybe I could," Nikita answered, feeling her stomach rumble slightly. "It did look really good."

Ziva sat up and gently tugged on Nikita's hand. "Come on then. Abby will be disappointed if we don't show up soon."

"I like her," Nikita confessed. Then she froze. "Ziva, what if anyone asks what we talked about? I really don't want to explain how screwed up I am right now."

"You can just say it was girl talk," Ziva smiled.

_Thanks to all of you who have been reading and reviewing! For debook210, I got Nikita's name from a French movie I saw back in college—La Femme Nikita. She also became an assassin through unusual circumstances and was a rather tortured soul. And thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them! (Now you all know what I want for my birthday!!)_

_CaliBrat_


	15. Unexpected

**Unexpected**

_A/N : Well, I didn't get NCIS for my birthday—not even a DVD! **Sigh**. But I can get a couple more chapters up!! I've got a few filler chapters, but they do serve a bit of purpose too, I promise!! When it all hits the fan things are going to move rather quickly, and these next few chapters have more character bonding and a bit more humor (and more Tiva!!). Hope you are all having a great week!!_

"Oh, wow, now I know what it feels like to be a Thanksgiving turkey!" Nikita laughed. "Abby, you've gotta teach me how to make that!"

"Nothing to it," Abby grinned back. "The hardest part is the base, but once you've got that down it can pretty much cook itself."

"It was wonderful, Abby," Ziva told her as they started clearing the dishes.

"What can I do to help?" Nikita asked. "After all, it's not fair to make you do the cooking **_and_** clean up after!"

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to get your stitches wet," Abby said quickly. "It's okay, really."

"Are you sure?" Nikita asked, still not convinced. "I kinda feel like I should be doing something."

"You are," Ziva answered. "You will be recovering from your injuries."

"I don't know..." Nikita began. Abby silenced her with a bone-crushing hug.

"Well I do!" she said, laughing. "Tony brought plenty of movies, so why not pick out something good and chill for the afternoon?"

"But..."

"I will help Abby," Ziva smiled. "You and Tony choose something for us to watch."

"Ok...I guess." Nikita suddenly hugged Ziva tightly. "I owe you one."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as Nikita had exited the kitchen, Ziva turned to Abby. "Okay, now what is going on?"

"All right, I was trying to get Nikita out of here because I found out something I wanted to tell you, well, I already told Gibbs and Tony and I still have to call Ducky and McGee, but..." Abby started rambling, but stopped as Ziva caught her shoulders.

"Abby, just tell me!" she laughed. Abby couldn't help giggling in response.

"Okay, I couldn't help it, I was just excited," she grinned. Quickly she turned on the water faucet lowered her voice. "I was doing some checking to see if there was anything in the evidence files that we might have missed, and we did—in a really major way!"

"About what?" Ziva asked, thoroughly confused. Abby often had that effect on her.

"**_Ziva_**!!" Abby remembered at the last second to keep her voice down. "Nikita's birthday is the day after tomorrow!"

Ziva was taken aback by by this. The information was unexpected, to say the least. "Abby, I'm not sure I understand what this has to do with the case."

"We should do something nice for her!" Abby said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Tony thinks we should plan a surprise party!"

"Abby, I don't know if that's a good idea," Ziva said quietly. "She hasn't said anything—maybe she's trying to forget about it."

"I wouldn't do anything really wild," Abby pointed out. "I was thinking just a quiet get-together with some good food, you know, kind of bring her into the family."

"You know what, Abby? That sounds like it just might work." Ziva found her friend's excitement contagious, and she whispered conspiratorially, "So what is the plan?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So did you guys actually agree on this or did you play rock-paper-scissors?" Abby wanted to know.

"We agreed," Nikita smirked. "After my paper beat his rock."

"And I still can't figure how you guessed that so easily!" Tony said as Nikita put _The Scorpion King_ into the DVD player.

"I figured you'd guess I'd pick scissors, given my profession," she answered with a shrug. "So I just picked paper instead to beat your rock. And now I'm more than ready to watch **_THE_** Rock."

"And now we know why this is your favorite movie," Ziva smiled, settling next to Tony on the couch.

"Well, the Rock **_is_** pretty hot!" Abby laughed, tossing Nikita a pillow. The younger woman grinned back and situated herself comfortably on the floor in front of the TV, lying down so she wouldn't block anyone's view.

"You let her win, didn't you?" Ziva whispered to Tony. He smiled and drew her closer.

"Maybe," he whispered back, gently nuzzling her ear. "I thought maybe I'd do something nice today."

"I told you once before, Tony...you're a good person," Ziva answered, pulling him in for a kiss. "You always have been."

_Hope you enjoy—I'm gonna try to get one or two more up tonight!_

_CaliBrat_


	16. Plans

**Plans**

_A/N : Please, I'm just a starving LMT!! Believe me, I own nothing!!_

"Great, so it's all agreed who's taking care of what, right?" Abby asked. Nikita had dozed off in the middle of the movie, so Abby took advantage of the chance to make party plans.

"Everything's arranged, Abby," came McGee's voice over her cell phone. "All you guys have to do is get her out of the house for a few hours. Which could be a problem considering she's supposed to be under protection."

"Hm, you've got a point," Abby frowned. "Hey, let me run it by Tony and Ziva—maybe they can come up with something."

"Just let me know," McGee told her. "If anybody can pull this off, it's you, Abby."

"Thanks, Timmy," she sighed as she hung up.

"What's wrong, Abby?" Ziva asked when the Goth returned to the living room.

Quietly Abby filled them in on the hitch in their plan. The thought of not being able to have the party depressed her, but Tony just grinned.

"We could take her shopping," he said. "No way did she pick up more than a few basics the other day."

"If Tony and I are with her, we would still be fulfilling our protection duty as well," Ziva pointed out. "How long would we need to be out of the house?"

"At least three or four hours," Abby mused. "I think the three of us could handle that. I'll come with you."

"Abs, that's not such a good idea," Tony protested. "If we ran into trouble, things could get bad fast."

"And if anything happened to you Nikita would never forgive herself," Ziva added with a quick glance at the sleeping girl. "Besides, do you really think Gibbs should be in charge of setting things up here?"

"You're probably right," Abby smirked. "Gibbs isn't exactly the partying type, is he?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mind if I join you?"

Ziva looked up from the gun she was cleaning and smiled at Nikita. "Have a seat."

"This has got to be my leat favorite part of handling weaponry," the girl moaned, setting her weapons belt on the table along with a black leather roll-up case. She unrolled it an remove the largest bottle and a soft cloth, then extracted all the throwing stars from the belt. "I forgot about doing this till I woke up just now."

"Can you really use those?" Ziva asked curiously.

"Yep. I never carry anything I don't know how to use." Nikita poured some of the liquid onto the cloth and started wiping one of the stars carefully, wrinkling her nose at the acrid smell. "Ugh. I forget how bad this stuff smells."

"So can you really kill somebody with one of these?" Tony asked as he joined them and picked up one of the stars from the pile.

"**_YO_**! Do you have a death wish or something?!?" Nikita snatched it back quickly but delicately, then examined Tony's hands. "Did it cut you at all?"

"No, I don't think so," he answered, puzzled by her reaction. "But even if I had been, it takes more than a little scratch to kill Tony DiNozzo."

"Just to be safe, go wash your hands, too," Nikita instructed. "It's not the stars you need to worry about—it's what's coating them."

"Poison?" Ziva asked.

"Some of them. Others are dipped in a tranquilizer that slows reaction times." Nikita grinned as Tony began scrubbing his hands frantically at the kitchen sink. "It's only at full potency for a day or two, but I don't like to take chances with any of that stuff."

"Where do you get it?" Tony asked as he sat down. "I assume it's not something you can buy at the local supermarket."

"Some of it you can," Abby put in. She had heard part of the conversation and was completely drawn in now. "Depending on what the desired effect is, I mean, they use over-the-counter cold pills to cook meth, so why not?"  
"You can't get all the herbs at the corner market, though," Nikita said. "For that you have to go to a place that specializes in medicinal herbs. There's a Chinese medicine shop here that's the best."

"Wouldn't a gun be easier?" Tony smirked.

"It would," Nikita agreed. "Except for the fact that I don't know how to shoot one."

"I could teach you," Ziva volunteered, sharing a quick look with Tony and Abby. "We could go to the firing range in a day or two if you'd like."

"Sounds like fun," Nikita answered. "Do you think it'll be okay with my hand all stitched up?"

"I think so, if you wore gloves. We could shop for the gear you'll need tomorrow," Ziva answered with a smile. "And if you need anything else, we could pick it up while we're out."

"You don't mind?" Nikita asked. "What if I'm a lousy shot?"

Ziva started to laugh. "Then you can teach me how to throw those stars. I think, though, you will be an excellent shot. Have you handled firearms at all?"

"A little. Jayce...he showed me how to hold a gun and aim it, but I wasn't that interested." Nikita sighed unhappily at the memory. "I guess I wasn't such a great sister."

Abby reached over to hug her tightly. "Don't say that. Just because you were twins doesn't mean you had to be joined at the hip, you know."

"And I do not believe lack of interest kept you from firing a gun," Ziva said quietly. "It is time for you to face your fears."

"What if I can't do it?" Nikita reached up and squeezed Abby's hand.

"Kid, I think you can," Tony said with a smile. "And you'll have me and Ziva there to watch your six."

Nikita smiled.

_Taking a break now to chow down some birthday cake—I got black and read decorations that would have made Abby proud! Later all!_

_CaliBrat_


	17. It doesn't have to end

**It doesn't have to end**

_A/N : Ok, I'm in a fantastic mood because LSU won the College World Series on my birthday!!! Talk about a great present. Geaux Tigers!!!!!(Did I mention I'm an LSU fan?)_

Much later that night, Ziva curled up next to Tony and sighed softly. She was rather pleased with the way things had worked out, and she felt sure Nikita wouldn't try to run away again. But still she tried to hold off sleep a little longer, wanting to enjoy this rare moment of contentment.

"Ziva." Tony spoke softly, startling her and she knew he'd been watching. "It's okay. You can sleep you know."

"Yes." Ziva wouldn't turn to face him. "I...I can't explain it."

"I'm listening." Tony gently draped an arm over her. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know," she smiled. Then at last she turned to face him, pressing herself against his chest. "I don't want to give this up, Tony."  
"What, the assignment?" Tony was a little confused. "Did Vance try to pull you off the case or something?"

"No, nothing like that!" Ziva quickly realized Tony had misunderstood. "I meant right now, being here with you."

"That's not gonna happen, sweetheart." Tony was a little surprised even now how easily the endearment rolled off his tongue. "I meant it when I told you I wasn't going anywhere."

"Even once the case is over?" Ziva asked, hating how vulnerable she sounded and felt. "Being with you like this has been so...comfortable. I don't want it to end, Tony."

"It doesn't have to." He tilted her chin up for a tender kiss. "We can make this work. I know we can."

"How can you know?" Ziva asked quietly.

"Because I love you," Tony answered simply. "I'm not great at expressing how I feel, but I love you, Ziva David. And I won't let you go just because things get a little complicated."

"I love you too." She snuggled closer, tucking her head under his chin. Slowly her eyes closed, the warmth of Tony's body soothing her into sleep.

"Get some rest." Tony gently kissed her hair as her breathing became deep and even. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a dark SUV down the street the Black Dragon sat back with satisfaction. Beside him, his son shifted restlessly.

"This is the perfect opportunity, Father," he said. "They would not expect an attack now."

"If the couple visiting our prey were civilians you would be correct," the Dragon agreed. "But the woman is Mossad and her partner is an NCIS special agent. They will be expecting an attack. Patience."

"We could use the poison," the young man insisted. "That girl could never stand alone against us both."

"Do not let your bloodlust become your undoing, my son. There is more than enough time to eliminate them all." The Dragon smiled cruelly. "In two days we will discuss this again."

_In two days that girl will be dead, as will her companions, _vowed the young man.

_Let me know what you think!_

_CaliBrat_


	18. Hot Topic

**Hot Topic**

_A/N : Hi all! Hope you're having a great week so far! I swear this story IS going somewhere, but these next two chapters are kind of fillers because I wanted to get some interaction with Abby and Ducky before everything hits the fan! I'm planning on posting the birthday party over the weekend and then things are going to happen really fast—I already have it planned out, just have to get it finished off :)_

Ziva slept later than she would have the following morning, but she still woke before Tony. Deciding to let him sleep, she slipped out of bed and padded to the kitchen. To her surprise, Nikita was already up and cooking breakfast.

"Something smells good," Ziva smiled.

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd do something useful," Nikita grinned back, expertly flipping the crepe she was making and catching it once more in the skillet. "I have a total weakness for fruit-filled crepes, but it's been quite a while since I've had them."

"You and Tony are going to make me fat!" Ziva laughed.

"You'd work it all off practicing your ninja moves," Tony grinned as he entered the kitchen and Ziva greeted him with a quick kiss.

"The coffee should be ready by now, and breakfast is almost done," Nikita smirked. She couldn't have been happier to see the two of them so content together. "And Abby was right—you guys are just so..."

"And you so don't want to continue that thought," Tony said, grinning widely. "And by the way, you snore like a chainsaw!"

"Just be glad I don't have a cold." Nikita tried to look serious, but failed miserably, joining them in laughter. With a flourish, she slid the last crepe onto a plate and said, "All done. Grab 'em while they're hot."

"Maybe you and Tony should open a restaurant," Ziva told her. "It seems you both like to cook and you do it well."

"Nah, I wouldn't have the patience," Nikita laughed. "I'd rather let someone else share the kitchen responsibilities—most of the time!"

"If I did that, I probably would starve," Tony grinned. With a sideways glance at Ziva he added, "Or I'd be surviving on pizza."

"I think the reason I like cooking so much is just because I **_don't_** get to do it much," Nikita admitted, spreading strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream on a crepe before rolling it up. "How do you think I got such good taste in take-out?"

"I won't argue with that," Tony answered. His cell phone rang and he got up to take the call in the next room. After a couple of minutes he returned to the table.

"What's up?" Nikita asked as she took another bite.

"We're gonna have company today," Tony answered. "Gibbs decided it would be okay for Abby to join us as long as McGee goes with her for protection."

"I hope he got a good night's rest," Ziva commented. "I have been shopping with Abby—once."

Nikita just refilled her coffee mug.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So where to next, Abby?" Nikita asked when they stopped for lunch.

"Have you ever been in Hot Topic?" Abby grinned wickedly. "It's absolutely beyond a doubt **_THE_** coolest store in the mall!"

"Perfect!" Nikita grinned. "And what about a bookstore? I'm out of reading material and there's this author I've been hearing about—Thom E. Gemcity-- that I wanted to check out."

McGee shot a desperate look at Tony and mouthed "_Help!_"

"I don't know if there's enough time today, kid," Tony answered, knowing why McGee was freaking out. The last thing they needed was a scene when McGee walked into the bookstore—definitely a recipe for disaster. "Ducky was planning to come by this afternoon and make sure you're healing up okay."

"And with his stories that could take up the rest of the day," Abby added with a smile. She was glad they would bypass the bookstore because now she had a great idea. "So why don't we call it a day after Hot Topic?"

"I also have a small errand I need to run later," Ziva put in.

"Well, then let's get this show on the road!" Nikita grinned as she rose to follow Abby.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Abby, you've got to try this on!" Nikita handed her a black mini-dress decorated with chains and silver studs shaped like bats. "This is **SO** you!"

Tony and Ziva had opted to wait on one of the benches outside the store where they could still watch Nikita, but still relax a little together. After a short time, McGee joined them.

"Finally escaped, huh Probie?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. I figured I'd let the girls have all the fun," McGee deadpanned. "Seriously, Tony, thanks for bailing me out. I really owe you for that one."

"McGee, I think you should tell her," Ziva smiled gently. "I think Nikita would find your double life rather amusing."  
"She seems like a good kid," McGee said quietly, then he grinned as Abby and Nikita exited the store with two large shopping bags. "Is there anything left in the store?"

"Some," Nikita quipped back. "And maybe if you ask her nicely, Abby will model what she bought."  
"It'll have to be later," Tony broke in. "We should be getting back now."

"See you guys later!" Abby geave hugs all around before grabbing McGee's hand. "Come on, Timmy, there's somewhere I need to stop before we leave."

"Wow, how much caffeine did she have today?" Nikita wondered.

_Oh, and BTW, yes I do think Hot Topic is the coolest store in the mall. But for some strange reason, most of my friends and family think it's a little weird—ah, what can you do LOL._

_CaliBrat_


	19. Afternoon tea

**Afternoon tea**

_Disclaimer : no, I didn't get NCIS in any way shape or form for my birthday—sigh._

Ducky had already arrived by the time they returned to the house. Gibbs was there too and since Nikita would be in good hands, Ziva quietly slipped out for the errand she had to run. Fortunately it didn't take long and her brief absence had gone unnoticed. By everyone but Tony that is.

"Later," she whispered in his ear. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I wasn't going to pry," Tony answered softly, kissing her cheek. "I just missed you, that's all."

Ziva smiled and pulled him close for a lingering kiss. Once they parted she still remained in his arms leaning against him. She loved how comfortable it was to be close to him.

"Tired?" Tony whispered in her ear, still holding her close. He loved the way she fit so perfectly against him.

"Mm-hm," Ziva mumbled drowsily. "Abby's enthusiasm is a little tiring."

"It's all those Caf-Pows," Tony chuckled. "They turn her into the Energizer Bunny."

"The what?"

"Never mind," Tony said quietly. "Listen, if you want to go lie down for a while I can take care of things here."

"Thank you for the offer, Tony, but I'll be fine," Ziva answered. "If I sleep now, I won't get any rest tonight. Besides, I would like to visit with Ducky."

"Okay." Tony smiled and pulled back a little so they could walk to the living room, but kept his arm around her. Ducky was relating one of his more humorous stories as they entered the room.

"Oh, you have to be making that up!" Nikita laughed.

"It's true enough, my dear." Ducky chuckled at the recollection, smiling at Tony and Ziva as they sat down. "You two are just in time fo r a cup of tea."

"That sounds perfect," Ziva sighed. "Shopping with Abby can be an exhausting experience."

"Wow, what a day," Nikita smiled as she put away her purchases. She grinned as Ziva looked into the bag from Hot Topic. "And Abby has pretty cool taste in clothes."

"You are not seriously planning to wear this, are you?" Ziva asked, holding up an emerald green corset overlaid with black lace.

"Why not?" Nikita grinned. "I even bought tattoo cover-up so I could wear it."

"Have you ever thought of getting it removed?" Ziva asked. "Because it seems to me you don't want to remain the Black Tiger forever."

"I have." Nikita sat down on her bed, looking down at the floor. "I just don't know what else I would do."

"You have a few options," Ziva answered. Reluctantly she added, "You could do well in Mossad if you chose."

"Funny, your father told me the same thing," Nikita mused. She gave Ziva a long, searching look. "You don't think I should, though."

"I admit I would prefer to see you at NCIS," Ziva agreed. Then she added seriously, "But that must be your choice, _tateleh_. Not mine."

"NCIS **_would_** be like having a family again," Nikita said wistfully. "This afternoon, having tea with Ducky—it was all so...normal. I even forgot about some of the stuff that's happened in the last few days."

"Ducky truly has a gift for making people feel better," Ziva smiled, remembering a few times she had had tea with Ducky and listened to his stories for an hour or more. "He has a very kind heart and does everything he can to help."

"You all do," Nikita answered.

_Oops, I just noticed in the last chapter that the breaks didn't post with the update, so sorry about the mess that made! I'm usually more careful about checking that stuff!_

_CaliBrat_


	20. Target practice and birthday cake

**Target practice and birthday cake**

_A/N This chapter is dedicated to my friend swoopfan who passed away earlier this week. She never published a story, but for many years she was my sounding board for ideas. We went through some really tough times—not the least of which was Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath—and we always pulled through. You will be missed, my friend._

"Are you sure about this?" Nikita asked, eyeing the gun warily. "What if I'm a crappy shot or something?"

"Kid, if you can use those stars with accuracy, this should be a walk in the park," Tony answered.

"You'll be fine," Ziva assured her. "Just remember what I showed you earlier."

"Okay." Nikita took her position, but as she tried to aim her hands began to shake and her vision blurred. A moment later she felt Ziva's hands on her arms, steadying her aim and offering gentle reassurance.

"I'm right here." Ziva spoke from behind her, offering what support she could. "You can do this."

Nikita gritted her teeth and pulled the trigger.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That kid's not bad," Leon Vance remarked as he joined Tony to watch Nikita shoot. "Looks like she's giving David a run for her money."

"She is now," Tony agreed. After Nikita had gotten over her fear of gunfire, she had proved to be a crack shot. "Thanks for getting us the firing range today."

"Not a problem. Besides, if she really does manage to take down the Black Dragon, I plan to do my damnedest to recruit her," Vance answered. "You don't find many agents who are tacticians and can fight like she does."

"You know there'll be other agencies trying to recruit her as well," Tony said.

"I know." Vance rose to leave and handed Tony a wrapped package. "This is why I really came down. Her brother's flag."

"You're not staying?" Tony asked—not that he really wanted Vance hanging around.

"I get the feeling she doesn't like me all that much," the NCIS director mused. He added quietly, "I just hope we can keep her from getting killed."

Tony watched Vance walk away, stung by the director's words. _Like I really needed reminding that I fucked up last time on a protection detail._

"Tony?" Ziva's voice brought him gently out of his reverie. "Are you okay?"

"Not really, but I don't want to talk about it right now." Seeing a flash of hurt in her dark eyes, he quickly added, "It's what we talked about the other day. I'll be okay, I promise. I haven't forgotten what you told me."

Ziva smiled in understanding. She wished they were someplace with more privacy so she could offer more comfort and gently she twined her fingers around his as Nikita made her way to them.

"What did you think, kid?" Tony asked with a slight grin.

"I think I like quieter weapons," Nikita answered mock-seriously, sending them all into laughter.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"All right! Looks like Abby came for dinner!" Nikita grinned as they pulled into the driveway. Tony and Ziva shared a quick grin as the Goth came bounding out the front door.

"So how was the firing range?" Abby grinned, giving big hugs all around.

"It was fun," Nikita answered with a mischievous grin. "But loud."

"Next time we can try a silencer," Ziva smiled. "I believe that would solve the problem."

"Are you staying for dinner, Abby?" Nikita asked.

"You bet!" Abby grinned. "And so are Gibbs and McGee and Ducky!"

"Really?"

"Well, it was supposed to be a surprise, but..." Abby hugged Nikita tight and said, "Happy birthday."

"Oh, my gosh, are you serious?" Nikita hugged Abby just as tightly and laughed. "I completely forgot what the date was!!"

"You had a lot on your mind, kid," Tony grinned in response, his grin turning slightly embarrassed as Nikita threw her arms around his neck. "Besides, we're a family here—a screwed-up family sometime, but still family."

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"Make a wish, kid," Gibbs said as Abby lit the last candle on the cake. Nikita grinned, then shut her eyes as she blew out the candles.

"Abby, where on earth did you get a black and red cake?" Ziva asked.

"Just called in a little favor," the Goth smiled back as she helped Nikita pass around slices of the cake. "And we're gonna have pizza in a little while too."

"Kinda backwards isn't it, eating dessert first," Nikita commented, sighing with delight as she dug into her cake. "Chocolate—it just doesn't get any better than that!"

"Don't be so sure of that," Abby laughed, passing her a box wrapped in red.

"You guys really didn't have to--" Nikita began, but Tony cut her off.

"You're family, kid." Gently he slipped an arm around Ziva. "We stick together."  
"That's right, my dear," Ducky added with a smile. "We share the bad, but more importantly the good in life."

"You guys really are the best!" Nikita said, opening Abby's gift. She squealed in delight as she tried on the spiked collar and wristbands the Goth had picked out for her. "How do I look?"

"Like a Gypsy version of Abby!" Tony answered with a laugh. Gibbs chuckled at the thought before bringing out his gift.

"Happy birthday kid," he said softly. "Sorry it's not wrapped."

"It's...its perfect." Nikita stared at the handmade frame in her hands that contained a photograph of her brother in uniform alongside his service record. Gingerly she set it on the table then rose to hug Gibbs tightly. "Thank you sir."

"You're welcome." He hugged her tight, then pulled back and ruffled her hair. Nikita smiled a little sadly before rejoining the group at the table. Laughter and some good-natured teasing broke out as she opened Ducky's gift—a first-aid kit with a humorous book titled _Do It Yourself ER_.

"I thought you might appreciate the levity," Ducky smiled as Nikita was overcome by a fit of giggles.

"Oh, this is priceless!" she gasped, laughing even harder as she flipped through the chapter titles. "Thank you Ducky!"

"Happy birthday, my dear," smiled the medical examiner, taking a spot near Gibbs to observe the party.

"That was a very thoughtful gift, Jethro." Ducky spoke in a voice for Gibbs' ears only. "She will treasure it for the rest of her life."

"But how long will that be, Duck?" Gibbs asked pensively. "The Black Dragon won't wait forever."

"No," Ducky agreed. "But let's allow her to enjoy the evening."

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The arrival of pizza had put a temporary halt to the present-opening while Nikita and Abby had a friendly argument over who was paying. At last Nikita gave up and Abby triumphantly pulled the money from her own purse.

"She just won't take no for an answer when she wants something, does she?" Nikita grinned.

"Nope," Gibbs answered.

"Anyway, you still have presents to open miss," Abby laughed. "And I think you're gonna absolutely **_LOVE_** what Timmy got for you!"

Taking his cue, McGee passed a rather heavy gift bag to Nikita—containing copies of _Rock Hollow_ and _Deep Six_.

"Ohmigod, the Gemcity novels! You remembered!" Nikita gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, touched that he had remembered her passing comment.

"Take a look inside," McGee said, blushing a little.

"_To Nikita, the newest member of the NCIS family. Love, Thom_. How..." Then a delighted shout burst from her. "**_YOU'RE_** Thom E. Gemcity?!"

"Yep, the Probie has a hidden identity of his own," Tony chuckled, remembering the hell they'd given McGee over _Deep Six_. "Just keep in mind all this **IS** fiction. And speaking of fiction..."

He smiled watching Nikita open his gift—a collection of action movies starring either the Rock or Vin Diesel. Nikita grinned in anticipation. "Oh, yes! You know what I like! _Pitch Black_ and pizza—the perfect combination!"

"Tell you what—we'll get the living room set up," Tony suggested, shooting Abby and McGee a quick look to silence any protest. He knew what Ziva's gift was and he had the feeling she would prefer not to have an audience when it was opened.

As soon as the others were out of earshot, Ziva slipped the long jeweler's box from it's hiding place and gave it to Nikita. "Happy birthday, _tateleh_."

Nikita opened the box and gasped, tears suddenly filling her eyes. Inside was a beautifully made Star of David pendant almost identical to Ziva's except this one was made of rose gold. "Ziva..."

"Is it okay?" Ziva asked softly. "I wasn't sure, but I...I wanted to find something...that I would give a little sister."

Nikita found she couldn't speak; instead she hugged Ziva as tightly as she could, trying to find the words to express everything running through her mind. "Ziva...I..."

"Shh." Ziva held her tight, silently thanking every deity she could think of that things had turned out all right. She had had her doubts as to how appropriate her choice was. "There is no need to say anything."

_Hope you all enjoyed it—this chapter was the hardest to write in level of difficulty, but I think it turned out ok! _

_CaliBrat_


	21. Opening gambit

**Opening gambit**

_A/N I don't own NCIS! I just wish I did!!!!_

"Maybe you should think about going to bed, Sweet Cheeks." Tony's voice startled Ziva from the light doze she'd fallen into.

"What time is it?" she asked softly. After the others had said their good-nights, Tony and Nikita had started a movie marathon that ended with all of them sleeping in the living room.

"Late. Well, early now," Tony grinned. "The kid's out like a light, so I was thinking we'd be more comfortable in bed than on the couch."

"What about Nikita?" Ziva asked, looking over at the sleeping form on the other couch. The dim light from the TV reflected off the Star of David pendant she now wore.

"Let her sleep," Tony smiled as he helped her up and led her to their room. "No need to wake her up."

Too tired to worry about any concession to modesty, Ziva quickly stripped down to her underwear and collapsed into bed, waking somewhat when Tony gently caressed her bare arm.

"Wake up for just a minute," he said softly, holding up her movie shirt. He still was amazed how much she trusted him sometimes. "You forgot something."

"Thank you." Ziva felt her cheeks redden as she realized what she had done. At least she knew she could trust Tony to be a gentleman about it. As she slipped on the shirt she smiled when she realized that he had actually looked the other way to give her some privacy. "It's okay, Tony. I'm decent now."

"You're more than that, you know," he smiled, sliding into bed beside her. "You're beautiful too."

"Mm. I love you." Ziva snuggled into his embrace and let sleep take her.

"I love you," Tony echoed as his eyes slid closed.

* * *

Thirty minutes after the house went dark, the young man stole silently into the back yard, keeping to the shadows. Speed and stealth were crucial as any commotion would compromise his mission.

_Father will no longer have this particular thorn in his side after tonight_ he mused, easing open a window and silently entering the house. As he passed the first bedroom he saw the woman and her companion sleeping peacefully in each others arms.

_How foolish to allow your partner to become your lover_ he thought in disdain. Still the information could prove useful later.

The second bedroom was empty.

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Ziva woke suddenly, having the eerie feeling that someone was in the house—someone who didn't belong there. By straining her hearing to the limit, she detected footsteps coming toward the bed. As she sat up to face the intruder, gun in hand, she was struck a vicious backhand blow that threw her against Tony. Before either of them could react, she was yanked from the bed, a very sharp knife pressed to her throat.

"Where is the girl?" snarled her attacker.

"What girl?" Tony answered, trying to buy time. Unfortunately he really couldn't come up with any options—not with Ziva being held at knifepoint.

"Don't play games with me." The man pressed the knife against Ziva's skin, this time drawing blood. "Now answer my question or your lover dies."

"How about you let her go before you become an organ donor?" a voice hissed in the man's ear. The words were punctuated by the tip of a knife digging into the flesh over his kidney.

"So it would appear we are at a stalemate, Nikita Stewart," the young man sneered. Abruptly he flung Ziva away from him, turning to face his true prey.

The fight was swift and incredibly brutal. The young man equaled Nikita in skill to the point that neither could gain the upper hand until a sound of bone breaking followed by a man's cry of pain brought things to a halt.

Nikita backed away, gasping for breath and favoring her left side, but her eyes remained on her opponent. He too stepped back, his face a mask of pain—and Nikita's blade buried to the hilt in the left side of his chest just below his heart. He stared in disbelief for a moment, then put his hand around the hilt.

"I wouldn't." Nikita's voice was like ice. "The only thing keeping you alive now is that blade. Remove it and you bleed out before you get to a hospital."  
"Clever girl," the young man answered. "But my father will avenge my death."

"Will he?" Nikita taunted. "He sent you all alone with no backup? Or are you here on your own—maybe trying to be Daddy's Little Dragon?"

"Bitch! I can still kill you and your friends!" The boy lunged forward, but froze when Nikita grabbed the knife hilt. "What do you want from me?!"

"For starters, I want to know why you're here," Nikita hissed, rage flashing in her eyes. "Then if you tell me what I want to know, you get to leave."

Ziva started to protest but shut up at the expression on Nikita's face. The gentle girl they knew had been replaced by a cold-hearted killer who stopped at nothing to achieve her goals.

Over the next fifteen minutes the Black Dragon's son complied with Nikita's interrogation. He didn't relish the prospect of facing his father's wrath for his disobedience, but he hoped his punishment would be less severe because of his observations. The Black Tiger had gone soft—she was actually going to let him walk out with his life! And she was injured! This was the perfect opportunity to return and destroy her!

"Thank you for your cooperation," Nikita sneered. She then addressed Tony and Ziva. "You may not want to watch this."

"We're staying kid," Tony spoke up softly. He didn't like the idea of letting their assailant go, but he assumed Nikita knew what she was doing. "You may need backup."

"Believe me, I won't." Nikita reached forward and grasped the knife hilt once more. "But this is gonna be messy."

The young man went white. "You...you can't! You said if I talked I could leave!"

"So you will—in a body bag." Coldly Nikita ripped the knife from his chest. As the blood flowed, she added, "I never said you would be leaving _alive_."

The young man slowly collapsed to the floor and was dead within minutes.

"I think we need to call Gibbs now," Tony said softly.

_It's really hit the fan now folks!_

_CaliBrat_


	22. Control the game

**Control the game**

_A/N : sorry updates have been slow—work has been insane and I'm taking care of a tiny little kitten that I found (and she doesn't like me to take time to write LOL). But I'm still gonna get in at least one chapter a week!_

"That's gonna leave a nasty bruise tomorrow," Tony said softly, gently brushing Ziva's hair aside . At the soft touch she turned to face him.

"I'm more concerned about Nikita," she whispered back. Tony followed her gaze to where the young assassin was talking to Gibbs. "I don't think she's doing too well."

"Yeah, I think she's got some broken ribs," Tony answered. "I've never seen anything like that fight she put up."  
"Nor have I." Ziva shivered involuntarily as she stared at the drying pool of blood on the floor. "We saw the true Black Tiger for the first time tonight."

"She doesn't look too happy either," Tony observed. While Nikita seemed to be having no trouble answering Gibbs' questions, she seemed to be far away.

"It's not easy to look someone in the eye when you kill them." Ziva tried to sound nonchalant, but Tony immediately understood her meaning and pulled her close.

"I remember," he murmured in her ear. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me."

"You're here now." Wearily Ziva rested her head on his shoulder as Gibbs led Nikita back to them.

"The three of you, pack enough for a day or two." Like Nikita, Gibbs didn't look too pleased. "You're gonna have to stay somewhere until they're done processing the scene."

"Where?" Ziva asked quietly. At the moment a park bench sounded fine as long as she could sleep there.

"My place." Gibbs spoke in a tone that left no room for argument. "Now get moving, you have five minutes."

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"DiNozzo."

"Yeah, Boss?" Tony stopped making up the pull-out in the living room.

"Where's Ziva?" Gibbs wanted to know. He set the first-aid kit he was carrying on a side table. "I thought she'd be here."

"Guest room," Tony answered. "She wanted to keep an eye on the kid for a while."

"How the hell did this happen?" Gibbs was royally pissed off, but his anger wasn't directed at Tony. "You three came damn close to being killed and none of us saw it coming!?"

"It's my fault, Boss. Maybe we should have slept in shifts or—" Tony shut up as Gibbs very lightly smacked him.

"I wasn't blaming you, DiNozzo." Gibbs stared him down. "I just wish we had found the Black Dragon before he found us."

"We may be able to still." Ziva spoke up softly from behind them. "Before she killed the boy, Nikita questioned him as to the whereabouts of his father. I believe he answered truthfully."

"How can you be sure?" Gibbs countered. "He could have been lying—or baiting a trap."

"A skilled interrogator does not permit a prisoner to manipulate them," Ziva answered. "It all comes down to who controls the game. That boy was afraid to die and Nikita simply used his fear against him."

"So what happens now?" Tony asked. "Do we send in a SWAT team to get the Dragon?"

"That's not my call," Gibbs answered. "It's up to Vance and Director David to decide our next course of action."

"So we wait," Ziva sighed softly. Exhaustion was rapidly claiming her now and it was all she could do to stay awake.

"Let DiNozzo clean that cut and both of you get some sleep," Gibbs ordered. "I have the feeling we're all going to need it."

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The Black Dragon paced his study, fury mounting. His son had disappeared and there was no word from him, nor had he returned. _His errand had better be worth the consequences--_

The killer's thought abruptly ceased as he saw the story now being broadcast on ZNN.

"...was an apparent home invasion in which the intruder was killed..." The picture being shown was his son!

The house echoed with the Black Dragon's scream of fury.

_That girl will pay! No matter what I must do, she will __**PAY**__!!!_

_I think Nikita's in a lot of trouble now, friends and neighbors!!_

_CaliBrat_


	23. Sacrifice

**Sacrifice**

_A/N : Only one update this week, sorry—I'm stuck in bed with a rotten case of bronchitis, but I'm still writing! Thanks so much for all the great reviews! You guys are the ones really keeping this story going!_

_Disclaimer : Yeah, right, like I really own anything other than my own insanity!_

Gibbs slept badly in spite of the knowledge that his team was, for now, safe. Killing the Dragon's son had been unavoidable, but it was still a reckless move on Nikita's part. She was a target now for sure—and it was only a matter of time until the Black Dragon exacted his revenge.

_Maybe she wants him to come after her, _ Gibbs thought. _But I can't see her willingly endangering any of us just to end this game._

Something else didn't sit well with him either. Nikita had seemed very unsettled about killing the son of her enemy, but why? The boy would have killed her—and Tony and Ziva too most likely. Gibbs almost regretted making her take that sedative before talking to her. Quietly he stole down to the basement, pausing only to look in on Tony and Ziva as they slept. He was glad to see they were getting some much needed sleep.

_Better let them rest as long as they can. My gut tells me this is gonna be one hell of a rough ride from here on out._

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
_

Ziva jerked awake, her heart hammering in her chest. Only a second later she felt Tony's arms around her offering warmth and comfort.

"Bad dream?" he asked quietly, feeling her heart pounding wildly against his. She had begun to shake violently and he held her closer.

"I...I can't remember," Ziva whispered, trying to calm herself. She couldn't even remember what the dream had been about, much less specifics, but the fear she had felt remained.

"It's okay, Sweet Cheeks," Tony answered, stroking her hair gently. "Bad dreams can be like that sometimes—scare the hell out of you and be gone when you wake up."

"Yes." Ziva was glad he understood her so well. "Tony, I just have a really bad feeling..."  
"About what?" He wasn't sure he really wanted to know, but he knew that Ziva needed to talk. For her to even admit to worry told him a lot.

"Everything." Ziva kept her voice low, but Tony heard the fear in that one word. "Nikita killed the Black Dragon's son. He's not going to just let that go."

"Yeah." Tony kept quiet, not wanting to voice his own fears, but Ziva pulled back and looked into his eyes.

"Tony, what is it? I can tell something's troubling you." She lay across his chest, pressing as close to him as she could. "Please tell me."

"What if—god, I don't want to **_think_** about it—but..." Tony broke off and took a deep breath, taking comfort from Ziva's embrace. "What if the Black Dragon goes after her family?"

Ziva wanted to tell him that the Dragon's men stood no chance against the protection assigned to them, but she couldn't. The cold truth was if the Dragon was determined to kill Nikita's sister-in-law and nephew in retaliation, they were as good as dead already. "I don't know, Tony."

"Are you scared?" For once there was no teasing in his voice.

"Yes. But not for me." Ziva fought back the tears that suddenly threatened. "I lost a little sister once. I don't want to go through it again. And I don't want to lose you or Gibbs or any of the team." Now her tears fell despite her best efforts to stop them.

"Shh. It's okay," Tony whispered, his own tears falling. Ziva had touched on his worst fears too. Kate's death had been devastating, but he had come to terms with it. When Jeanne had left, it had hurt but he had gotten past it. Ziva had been the one who pulled him through all of it. She was so much more to him than a friend—or a lover—that he didn't think he could face life without her. "I understand."

They lay in silence, holding onto each other for what seemed like hours. Even after the tears ceased, sleep was elusive. This case was rapidly spiraling out of control and it seemed the inevitable end was tragedy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eli David stared at the report he held in utter disbelief. _How could something like this have happened so quickly?_ The only answer could be that there was a traitor in Mossad. Several brief phone calls to officers he knew he could be trusted ensured that the traitor would be found and—dealt with.

Which now left a more serious problem. Picking up the phone once more, he place a call to Leon Vance.

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"Eli, tell me this didn't happen,: Vance said, staring at the report that had been faxed from Tel Aviv.

"I wish it had not, my friend. It appears now that Nikita's mission in in jeopardy." Eli had known that his old friend would react badly to the news. "I will be on the next available flight. I onlyt hope we are not too late."

As he hung up, Vance said softly, "I hope so too."

Dropping the report on his desk, he left his office, the words on the paper burned into his memory.

**SAFEHOUSE ATTACKED. ALL OFFICERS KILLED. RACHAEL STEWART DEAD**

**WHEREABOUTS OF ISAAC STEWART UNKNOWN.**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**

Gibbs answered his cell phone after a brief glance at the caller ID. "I don't remember ordering a wake-up call, Leon."

"Cut the crap, I'm not in the mood." Gibbs had never heard so much anger in the Director's voice. "Where are you all right now?"

"My place," Gibbs answered. "What happened?"

"Something beyond bad," Vance answered. "I want you all back here at the office. Plan to be here for a while."

As Vance hung up, Gibbs had the sinking feeling that things were worse than any of them could have imagined.

_I'd love some reviews to make me feel better!  
_

_CaliBrat_


	24. Counterstrike

**Counterstrike**

_A/N : I'm doing a 2-chapter update today, but I probably won't be able to get back to a computer until next week—if my inbox blows up from reviews though, I will try!_

_Disclaimer: Hey we all know I own nothing!!_

Nikita sat in silence at Ziva's desk. She hadn't moved or spoken since receiving the news of her sister-in-law's death, but her mind worked furiously. She wanted to hunt the Dragon down immediately but she knew that caution came before her desire for revenge.

_Okay, so he'll be wanting me to just come after him blindly, but does he really think I'm that crazy?_ She wondered. _Although if I could slip out of here unnoticed--_

"Don't even think about it." Nikita nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Ziva's voice. "It won't work."

"What won't work?" Nikita asked, feigning innocence.

"I know you want to go after him." Ziva perched on the edge of her desk before continuing. "So do I."

"Ziva, this isn't your fight," Nikita sighed wearily.

"It is now. The Dragon killed Mossad operatives to get to your family." When Ziva had gotten the call from her father, she made up her mind that the Dragon would die. "The only way he could have gotten the information would be through a traitor."

Nikita felt sick as the full implications hit her. "Have they found who it was?"

"Not yet." Ziva looked up as Gibbs and Vance came down the stairs, looking grim. "What has happened?"

"Somehow the Black Dragon has managed to get a line into MTAC," Vance responded. "He's demanding to speak with Miss Stewart."

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"Well, well, it has been a long time, Nikita Stewart." The Black Dragon sat back in his chair, thoroughly enjoying his little power play.

"Not long enough." Nikita's voice held a steely edge. "What do you want?"

"I see time has not improved your manners," the Dragon snapped back. "You haven't even introduced your companions."

"Cut the bullshit and get to the point!" Nikita had had enough. "You didn't break into a high security line for high tea, so what do you want?"  
"I would have thought that was fairly obvious." The Dragon's voice dripped with sarcasm. "You killed my son. Now I have your brother's son."

"You sonofabitch!" Nikita was actually shaking with fury now. "What have you done to him!?"

"Nothing. He is currently enjoying my hospitality. I'm sure you know where—you would not have killed my son without interrogating him first." Then the Dragon smiled—a cruel, humorless smile. "Although I would hurry. Apparently your young nephew has ingested a quantity of slow-acting poison in his soda. I shall see you soon."

As the screen went dark, Nikita hurled a string of obscenities in multiple languages at the spot where her enemy's shadowed image had been. After a few seconds, she regained control of herself.

"Sorry. That was kind of pointless," she said softly, embarrassed by her outburst. "We're out of options now."

"How long do you think we have?" Gibbs asked pointedly.

"You mean how long before Isaac dies, right?" Nikita sighed heavily and shook her head. "It depends—mainly on what poison he used, but to be safe...no more than five or six hours. So it's time for me to go."

"Not alone you won't," Vance cut in before Gibbs could respond. "You'll have backup—the Dragon won't be expecting that, will he?"

"You're right, he won't," Nikita mused, thinking her options over. "And just maybe they could get Isaac out of there—I know I could keep the Dragon off them long enough."

"I think Tony and Ziva would be your best bet," Gibbs said quietly. "Mainly because they aren't gonna let you go alone anyway."

"I don't like it," Nikita protested. Then she sat in a nearby chair. "What sucks is I can't think of anything else. So what do you have in mind?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Kid, you want to tell me what's been bugging you?" Gibbs asked on the way to the Dragon's hideout. "And don't be a smartass. You've been edgy since you killed the Dragon's son."

"His name was Erik," Nikita said softly. "I didn't know that until Abby ran his fingerprints. It's just that...he was even younger than me. And I killed him."

"It's not the first time," Gibbs pointed out.

"No. But what makes me any better than he was?" Nikita stared straight ahead, then glanced back to make sure Tony and Ziva were still following them. "Gibbs, I kill for money, he killed for power. What's the difference?"

"Why did you turn down some of your offers, then?" Gibbs countered. "With your skills I'm surprised they haven't tried to hire you to take out some of the top brass in the world."

"Like Director David?" Nikita asked. "They tried to. Instead I killed my would-be employers and alerted him to the threat on his life."

"Why?"

"It's a long story for another day," Nikita answered quietly as the cars stopped outside the warehouse. "Look, I may not get out of there alive, so..."

"Don't make me slap you before a fight," Gibbs interrupted. "You don't get to die until I give you permission, is that clear?"

"Crystal." Nikita exited the car and started toward the building, Tony and Ziva flanking her.

Gibbs watched them go in silence before calling Vance to make sure all emergency measures were in place. Now he could only wait.


	25. Checkmate

**Checkmate**

_A/N : OK, here it is-- the long awaited showdown!_

"You guys really don't have to do this," Nikita said quietly.

"Yes we do." Ziva stared her down. "And there is no time to argue now."

Nikita sighed and pushed the door open. The room was dimly lit but she could make out a cot against the far wall. A small, still figure lying on it seemed to be the room's only occupant.

"Isaac!" Nikita darted forward, freezing at the soft laughter that filled the room.

"How touching." The Black Dragon stepped into the light, allowing them to get a good look at him. To Ziva's amazement, he was only in his mid-thirties. Also he was rather unremarkable in appearance—sandy brown hair, blue eyes, athletic build. He looked like the distant cousin at a family reunion who is forgotten once he leaves the room.

"What did you give him?" Nikita demanded, staying where she was.

"Come, now, that would spoil the game." The Dragon's expression became cold. "You killed my son, and it's time you paid the price."

"'Paid the price'?" Nikita repeated incredulously. "You sick bastard, **YOU** set this in motion seven years ago when you murdered my parents!"

"That was merely business," answered the Dragon. "Not unlike your own, Nikita Stewart."

At those words a frightening change came over Nikita. Her eyes grew dark and her expression conveyed only hatred. When she spoke, her voice was cold and laced with venom. "Nikita Stewart is dead. I am the Black Tiger!"

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As Nikita lunged for the Black Dragon, Tony grabbed Ziva's arms in a painfully tight grip.

"The boy," he hissed in her ear. Keeping their eyes on the fight, the two agents began edging toward the cot. Not even in a movie had Tony seen such a fight. Barehanded, both assassins were deadly, but somehow they had drawn knives and now the fight was punctuated by the clash of metal on metal. He hoped Nikita could hold out until they got to the boy...

"Oh, god, no," Tony whispered. The boy was still, a bluish cast to his skin. Ziva knelt at the child's side and felt for a pulse.

"He's gone," she choked out, tears sliding down her face. The child was already cold; there was nothing that could be done.

"That lying son of a bitch!" Tony shouted, drawing his weapon and aiming at the fighters.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tony's shout broke through the red haze in Nikita's mind—long enough for her to feel a searing pain in her chest. She found herself face to face with the Black Dragon, his knife embedded in the same spot she had stabbed his son.

"I believe you know what happens now," the assassin sneered, his hand firmly gripping the knife hilt.

"Yes, I do." Nikita's eyes narrowed as she struck the Dragon as hard as she could with her claw strike. The Black Dragon fell, blood spurting from his carotid artery—and the knife still clenched in his hand.

"**_NO_**!" Ziva's cry sounded far away as Nikita stared at the blood flowing from the knife wound.

"Checkmate," she whispered as she collapsed.

_I know, I'm evil, ending things on a cliffhanger for this week! Hope you enjoyed it!_


	26. It's not your fault

**It's not your fault**

_A/N :Thanks to everyone for all the great reviews!!! This is the first chance I've actually had to get to a computer to update, but it's really cool that you're still following this insanity!! Tonight's update will be two chapters as I'm not sure if I'll get the chance next week—I'll be on vacation in Los Angeles next week (BTW, do I have any fans in that area? LOL). Hope you enjoy!_

By the time Ziva reached Nikita, Tony was already on his cell phone. Within seconds the backup team burst through the doors, followed closely by the paramedics. Tony gently pulled Ziva back as the medics worked frantically over the unconscious girl.

"She'll never make it to the hospital without a transfusion," one of them said softly. "Does anyone know her blood type?"

"The same as mine," Ziva answered, thankful now that Nikita had planned ahead. "I also have her medical history with me. Can you do the transfusion here?"

"In the ambulance," said the medic, leading her away quickly. In less than a minute Ziva lay on a gurney beside Nikita, her blood being fed into the dying girl's body.

"Hang on, _tateleh_," she whispered, tears flowing freely down her face. "Please just hang on."

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Tony sped through the streets to Bethesda, praying to every saint he could remember from his childhood. Although he'd never really been a devout Catholic, the prayers made him feel like he was at least doing _something_ useful.

_Dammit, why did I yell?_ Tony berated himself. _If I could have just kept my fucking mouth shut..._ And Ziva. All he could think of was her lying alone in a hospital bed, not knowing whether Nikita would survive.

_Oh, god, she must hate me. This is all my fault._

Upon reaching the hospital Tony was informed that Nikita was already in emergency surgery, not only for the knife wound, but also a punctured lung—probably from the broken ribs—and multiple lacerations from the Black Dragon's knife.

"What about Officer David?" he asked the nurse at the desk. "She was brought in with the girl. Is she okay?"

"I think she will be now that you're here," the nurse smiled gently. "She's in a room for observation, but we'll be letting her go home in a little while."

"What happened to her?" Tony asked, following the nurse, worry evident in his voice.

"Well, she lost a lot of blood because of the transfusion—it wasn't life-threatening, but she won't be feeling too well over the next few days. Right now we're just giving her some fluids to fight dehydration," the nurse explained. As she stopped outside Ziva's door she added, "Officer David deserves a medal. Without her that girl would never have made it here."

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Ziva lay in the hospital bed, not really paying that much attention to her current surroundings. Before starting the IV, the nurse had brought her a set of hospital pajamas so she could change out of her blood soaked clothing. The kindhearted nurse had also brought her a blanket to help her keep warm in the cold room. Though Ziva was grateful for the kind treatment, there was only one thing that could really make things better...

"Ziva?" Tony's voice was very soft as he pushed open the door. Quietly he sat in the chair next to her bed. "I...I know you probably don't want me here, but--"

"_What_?!" Ziva tried to sit up, but a wave of vertigo forced her back down. "Why would you say that?"

"You really have to ask?" Tony couldn't bring himself to look at her, not even when she slipped her free hand into his. "God, this is all my fault. If I had just kept quiet...I fucked up again..."

"How? Because you shouted when you got so angry?" Ziva let go of his hand to touch his face, silently begging him to look at her. "Tony, you just beat me to the...punch? Is that the saying?"

"Yeah, it is," he answered, but was unable to summon a smile. "But if I hadn't distracted her, then maybe..."  
"I'm going to tell you something, Tony, and I want you to listen carefully," Ziva interrupted him. "Nikita did not expect to escape unharmed. She knew what might happen and she made sure I knew anything the doctors here would need to know—even her blood type—just in case she was unable to tell them herself. You are not to blame, Tony."

"I can't help it this time, Ziva." Tony felt the tears coming, but he didn't even try to fight them. Carefully Ziva pushed herself into a sitting position and drew him close, whispering to him, letting him know she was there for him. He gently wrapped his arms around her, hanging on to her like a drowning man clutching a life preserver. "Oh, god it hurts. It hurts so much."

"I know. Just remember you're not alone, _my love_," she murmured, not even realizing she had switched to Hebrew. All Ziva wanted at that moment was to comfort him, make him see that none of this was his fault. After a few minutes he calmed himself enough to sit back and really look at her.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry. I came to make sure you were okay," Tony admitted softly, his eyes taking in how very pale and fragile she was. "Is there anything you need or anything I can do?"

"Yes." Ziva was glad he had asked, because there was only one thing she really wanted right now. "Hold me, Tony. Please."

Gingerly he sat on the bed beside her and gathered her into his arms, being careful of the IV line in her arm. Ziva gently tugged him back until they were reclining comfortably against the pillows, then she snuggled into his warmth.

"It's not your fault," she whispered, letting her eyes close in sleep.

_A/N YAY!!! Nikita isn't dead! I know a lot of people thought I'd killed her off, but hey, I'm not THAT mean!!!_


	27. Waiting

**Waiting**

_A/N Yeah, right, like I really own anything!_

It took longer than Gibbs would have liked to reach the hospital. First there had been supervising the team at the warehouse until McGee arrived. After that he doubled back to the office to get Ziva's bag with her spare clothes. He didn't know how long they'd be waiting or even if Nikita was still alive, but he was pretty sure Ziva would need clean clothes before the night was over.

_At least DiNozzo's there with her if things get bad_. Once en route to the hospital Gibbs had called Tony's cell to get an update on Nikita's condition. There had been no word except that she was still in surgery. The second call he made was even worse. Abby nearly had hysterics on the phone, but Gibbs made her promise to wait for McGee to drive her to the hospital. Gibbs just hoped the luck, magic or whatever protected his team would smile on the one who had so recently become a part of their hearts.

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Tony looked up at the sound of the door opening and was relieved to see Gibbs with the nurse.

"She's been sleeping for the last ten minutes or so," he told them. "I...didn't know what else to do for her."

"She's going to need a lot of rest over the next few days," the nurse answered with a smile. She could tell that Tony was really worried about his friend—if they were only just friends. "The doctor will be checking in on her in a few minutes and then she'll be able to go home."

"Is there a place she'll be able to rest?" Gibbs asked quietly. "The girl she came in with is in surgery and I know she won't leave until there's some word on the girl."

"There's a couch in the surgical waiting area," the nurse answered. "Keep the blanket with you too—it's chilly in there and she needs to be kept warm."

"Boss, is there any word?" Tony asked once the nurse had left.

"Not yet." Gibbs took a chair next to the bed, watching Ziva sleep. He wasn't surprised that Tony was on the bed holding her—she needed all the comfort she could get right now.

At that moment Ziva stirred ans slowly opened her eyes. Tony gently kissed her forehead and smiled as he helped her sit up.

"How long was I out?" Ziva yawned, leaning against him for support.

"Just a few minutes," Tony assured her. "Long enough for Gibbs to get here."

"Gibbs?" Ziva turned to face their boss. "Has something--"

"Take it easy, Ziver." Gibbs gently held her small hands in his. "There's no news yet. I just thought you'd want some clean clothes for when they let you out of here."

The door opened once again to admit the doctor this time. After receiving assurance from Gibbs that Ziva was in good hands, he gently removed the IV and signed the discharge papers. Gibbs followed him out of the room, but as Tony stood, Ziva grabbed his hand.

"Stay here," she said softly.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'm just gonna step out while you get dressed, okay?" Tony answered, giving her a gentle hug.

"I don't want to be alone," Ziva admitted, ashamed of being so weak, but unable to stop the few tears that spilled over. "Please stay, Tony."

"All right." He sat down on the edge of the bed, covering his eyes with both hands. His silly over-dramatic gesture was rewarded with a small laugh from Ziva. In less then a minute he felt her hands on his and he looked into her dark eyes.

"Thank you," she said, managing a tiny smile. As they exited the room, Tony wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and held her close, offering comfort and support.

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Ducky met them in the waiting area and the first thing he did was help Tony get Ziva settled on the couch, despite her protests that she was fine.

"I'm sure you are, my dear," he smiled. "But you wouldn't mind humoring an old man, would you?"

Ziva managed a wan smile and obediently settled into a comfortable position to try to rest. Tony sat beside her, letting her lay her head in his lap and within minutes she was fast asleep.

"Ducky, is there anything we should be doing for her?" Tony asked quietly. He was really starting to worry about Ziva—she seemed to fragile now and if Nikita didn't survive...

"You mean beyond the doctor's instructions?" Ducky asked gently. He could see that Gibbs was listening as well and wished he _could_ just come up with some magic remedy to make everything all right again, but he knew this time there was no easy answer. "I think that a great deal of comforting is in order. Ziva is a strong person, but everyone needs a bit of love now and then. And I believe right now you're giving her exactly what she needs most, Tony."

"I just hope it's enough," Tony answered sadly.

_See you when I get back from LA!!!!_


	28. It's not supposed to be like this

**It's not supposed to be like this**

_A/N Hi all! I'm back from LA—I just wish I could have stayed longer!! And we all know I'm just a starving LMT and I own nothing!_

Abby couldn't stop pacing the waiting area. Every time she tried to sit down she found herself jumping right back up again.

"Abigail, you really should try to rest," Ducky said quietly as he joined her at the window.

"I can't, Ducky." Abby spoke so softly he almost didn't hear her. "I just keep seeing all these horrible images playing out in my head and it's like a bad horror movie or something—or like that song that gets stuck in your head and keeps playing over and over..."

"Come sit down at least." Ducky gently but firmly steered her to a chair, then sat beside her and squeezed her hand. Abby turned to lean against his shoulder.

"What if she doesn't make it?" she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"Don't give up hope, my dear," Ducky answered, putting his arm around her. "Nikita is a strong healthy young woman and she is receiving the best care possible. We must have faith."

"It's not supposed to be like this, Ducky," Abby whimpered softly. "Just the other day we were all so happy, you know? How could something like this have happened?"

"I don't have any answers this time, Abigail. God knows I wish I did."

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"Family of Nikita Stewart?"

Ziva jerked awake at the sound of the doctor's voice, her heart sinking with dread at what they would be told.

"How is she?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"As well as can expected," the doctor answered. Ziva huddled closer to Tony and Abby began to cry softly, all of them fearing the worst. "Miss Stewart made it through the surgery with no complications and were able to repair the worst damage."

"Then she's okay?" Abby asked hopefully.

"She suffered extensive internal injuries," the doctor explained as gently as he could. "Without the transfusion she would have bled out before she even got here. She's stable now, but in a coma."

Ziva buried her face in Tony's chest and he felt her shaking as she fought back her tears. Abby was now sobbing into Ducky's shoulder and McGee was trying to help Ducky console her. Gibbs' expression was unreadable, but he voiced the question in all their minds.

"Will she come out of it?"

The doctor sighed, hating this part of his job. "There's no way to know at this point. In many cases this is just the body's way of coping with such severe injuries and within a short time the patient wakes on their own. Miss Stewart is young and in excellent health. Her chances are very good."

"Can we see her?" Ziva asked as she lifted her head. "Would that be possible?"

The doctor started to say no, that a patient in ICU couldn't have visitors in the first twenty-four hours, but he couldn't bring himself to deny the request. "I can only allow two of you in the room tonight, and even that's bending the rules. I'll take you there now."

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When Ziva entered Nikita's room it took all her willpower not to flee. Gibbs wrapped a comforting arm around her as they stood beside the still, silent figure on the bed.

"Why did this have to happen?" Ziva whispered, tears falling fast as she held Nikita's hand.

"I don't know, Ziver," Gibbs answered, giving her a gentle squeeze. "All we can do now is be there for each other—and her. Try talking to her. She needs to know you're here."

Ziva spoke softly in Hebrew, not even noticing that she was no longer speaking English. Gibbs knew she was really hurting now, even before she pulled away from him and nearly ran from the room. Before following her, Gibbs bent down to whisper in Nikita's ear.

"You do not have my permission to die."

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"Tony, she can't die," Ziva whispered, clinging to him for dear life as she fought to keep control of her emotions. Gibbs came out of the room in time to hear her next words. "I can't go through this again."

"Don't give up on her yet," Gibbs said gently. "She's a tough kid."

Ziva looked up but didn't trust herself to speak. Seeing Nikita lying in that hospital bed hooked up to all those machines had brought back too many bad memories. Gibbs could see that she was close to breaking and decided it was time to get out of there.

"Let's get you home," he said softly.


	29. Encounter

**Encounter**

_A/N: Sorry for the single chapter update this week—I'm down sick again, but I tried to make up for it with a really long chapter this time! There's one or two more chapters and an epilogue, then this will be done. I hope you guys have enjoyed reading it half as much as I've enjoyed writing it!!_

Ziva was surprised but didn't protest when Tony drove them to Gibbs' house instead of her apartment. The ride was shorter and besides that she still felt really tired—and sick too; in fact. It was all she could do to get out of the car. Tony kept a firm hold on her, half-carrying her into the house where Gibbs had already made up the pull-out for them.

"Abby and McGee are gonna be here soon," he told them. "They stopped off to pick up something for dinner."

"I'm not really that hungry," Ziva began to protest, but at that moment her stomach chose to grumble loudly. "Well, maybe a little."

"You need to eat something," Tony added gently. "Remember what the doctor said, and Nikita would kick your ass if you don't take care of yourself."

Ziva tried to smile at Tony's effort to cheer her up, but she just couldn't quite manage it. The day's events had been almost more than she could bear. She turned and buried herself in Tony's embrace, trembling slightly. "Hold me, Tony."

"Hey, it's gonna be okay, Sweet Cheeks," he answered gently, hugging her tightly. "You heard what the doc said—it's more like she's resting so her body can heal faster. She's gonna be just fine."

"You don't know that!" Ziva cried out, unable to hold back the tears any longer. Tony scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the pull-out, holding her on his lap while she sobbed into his chest. Rocking her gently, he spoke softly, telling her everything would be all right, that he loved her and he wasn't going anywhere. Gradually her tears ceased and she went limp in his arms. Gibbs had quietly exited the room, but now he rejoined them and offered Ziva a box of tissue.

"Feel better?" he asked softly, relieved to see her manage a very tiny smile this time. It was enough—his heart had nearly broken hearing his little Ziver cry like that.

"A little," she answered, wiping her eyes. "I'm so tired though."

"Try to stay awake," Gibbs told her. "You need a good meal before you go to bed tonight."

"I'd like to take a shower too," Ziva admitted, seeming almost shy for a moment. A blush colored her pale cheeks as she added, "But I think I may need help...."

"I can help you out," Tony said softly, knowing what it took for her to admit any weakness. Gibbs shot him a look. "And I promise I won't peek."

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True to his word, Tony kept his back turned as Ziva undressed and wrapped a towel around herself. As he helped her into the shower he said, "Keep talking to me, all right? I just need to know you're still okay."

"What do you want to talk about?" Ziva asked, passing the towel around the shower curtain, then turning on the water.

"Anything," Tony answered. "It's just that I know that you're not feeling too hot, so I need to know if—you know..."

"It's okay, Tony," Ziva sighed tiredly. "And I'm glad you're here."

"Me too," he smiled as the water shut off. "Ready for your towel?"

"Please." Without the warm water, Ziva felt really cold and all she wanted now was to be wrapped in Tony's warm arms.

"That was fast," he teased her gently as he steadied her once she stepped out of the shower. He could see how tired she was—hell, he could _feel_ it radiating from her—and he turned so she could get dressed as quickly as possible. "I wish there was something I could do to help."

"You have." Ziva snuggled as close to him as she could before continuing. "More than you know."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I screwed up," Ziva said softly as Gibbs helped her get settled. Abby and McGee had just left and Tony was grabbing a quick shower. "It's my fault."

"How is any of this your fault?" Gibbs answered. "You did the best you could didn't you?"

"It wasn't good enough." Ziva looked away, tears sliding down her face. "_**I**_ wasn't good enough."

"Come here." Gibbs drew her close, wishing he knew what to tell her this time. "There was no way you could have known what would go down at that warehouse. You're being too hard on yourself for this—something you and Tony seem to have in common."

"It's like losing my sister all over again," Ziva admitted. "I can't help wondering if there wasn't something more I could have done--"  
"I don't think anyone could have done what you did for her," Gibbs said quietly. "You saved her life, Ziver. And she hasn't given up yet, so don't you give up either."

Ziva didn't answer, but Gibbs felt her arms tighten around his neck and he couldn't help thinking of her as a little girl desperately seeking reassurance from a parent. He just held her until she relaxed once more and tried to stifle a yawn.

"Looks like it's past somebody's bedtime," Tony said quietly as he sat on his side of the bed.

"I think you're right." Gibbs helped Ziva lie back down and pulled the blanket over her, smiling when she snuggled up to Tony and closed her eyes.

"Thanks Boss," she mumbled sleepily, making Tony and Gibbs both smile.

"Get some sleep, you two," Gibbs answered.

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When Nikita opened her eyes she was surprised to see that she wasn't in the hospital. Instead she was lying on the grass in what appeared to be some kind of park. The sun shone brightly and the air was pleasantly cool, but for some reason no one was around—save for a red headed woman relaxing under a large oak tree. She was dressed in blue jeans and a light blue denim shirt that matched her eyes. She gave Nikita a friendly smile as the girl approached.

"Uhm, excuse me, but..." Nikita broke off, not really knowing how to continue.

"You're wondering what's going on," the woman finished.

"Yeah, something like that," Nikita looked around in confusion. "Am I dead or something?"

"Or something," smiled the woman, a touch of mischief in that smile. "Just relax for a while, kid. This is a safe place."

"Thanks." For some strange reason Nikita felt she could trust this woman, even though they'd never met—at least she was pretty sure they hadn't. "And the name's Nikita."

"Nice to meet, Nikita." The woman shook hands with her. "I'm Jenny."

_Bet none of you saw that little twist coming!! Is Nikita dreaming or is it for real? Hmm....._

_CaliBrat_


	30. Revelations

**Revelations**

_A/N : Hey all! I promise I didn't drop off the earth—just got really sick and didn't do much writing. Luckily my muse was nice enough to let me sleep that mess off too :) So here are the next two chapters and thanks for sticking with me!_

"So I am dead then," Nikita said. Jenny just shook her head.

"Not yet. You're in a coma," she answered.

"Then where the hell are we?" Nikita demanded. "'Cause if I'm not dead this is totally creeping me out!"

"Don't be afraid," Jenny smiled back. "This is just a place you can rest for a while."

"And then what?" Nikita asked dubiously.

"That's entirely up to you."

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"This is a hell of a mess, Eli," Vance said sadly. "It's always bad when a victim dies, but it just seems so much worse when it's a child."

"You are not to blame, Leon," Eli David assured his old friend. "We—**_I_** underestimated the Black Dragon's capabilities."

"It still amazes me that the kid managed to take him out," Vance mused. "I knew she was good, but I'd never have guessed she was _that_ good."

"What is her condition?" David wasn't too sure he really wanted to know; like Ziva, this awakened painful memories for him as well. But he felt it was at least partly his responsibility that the girl had lost her remaining family.

"I spoke with Gibbs just before you arrived. It's not good." Vance rubbed tired eyes and tried to find an easier way to pass on the update. "She's still alive, but in a coma. There's no way to know when—or if—she'll come out of it. Agent DiNozzo and Officer David are there with her and the rest of Gibbs' team have been visiting as well. If she wakes up the doctors think she'll make a full recovery, but..."

"First she must awaken," Eli finished. "I will make the necessary arrangements for her nephew. Then I will go to the hospital and get Ziva's report."

"She may not be up to it," Vance warned. "She's been severely weakened from that blood transfusion and from what I've been told she isn't taking this well."

"All the more reason I should speak with her now," answered the Mossad director. "I must admit, I could have had other operatives work with Nikita. It was for my own selfish reasons I sent her here. Now I must face the consequences of that decision."

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Ziva gave her report in a flat, expressionless voice, but what shocked Eli the most was how frail and ill his normally strong daughter seemed. She had requested that Agent DiNozzo remain with her and now she leaned against him, too exhausted to hold herself upright any longer. Within minutes she was deeply asleep.

"Don't worry, she's been like this all day," Tony said quickly. Ordinarily he would have been furious that Ziva's father had pushed her into making a report now, but he was stopped by the obvious worry on the older man's face. And unless he guessed completely wrong, it wasn't just because Ziva was physically unwell. "The doctor said it's gonna be like this for a few more days, then she'll be just fine."

"Perhaps," Eli said softly. "I have seen Nikita, Agent DiNozzo. Tell me, has Ziva ever spoken to you of her sister?"

"She has. And please, it's just Tony." David smiled faintly at that.

"As you wish...Tony. Then you know Tali was killed by a suicide bomber." When Tony nodded, Eli continued. "She lived for two days after, but her injuries were too severe."

"Oh, god." Tony held Ziva a little closer now. "I didn't know..."

"She never speaks of it." Eli spoke very softly now. "She must trust you greatly to even speak of Tali at all."

"I'd like to think so because there's nothing I wouldn't do for her," Tony answered. "You know, she sees that kid as a little sister. I don't think she can handle losing her."

"Nor do I. And there is something I must now ask. You and my daughter are...involved, are you not?" Eli raised a hand to stay Tony's protest. "I do not wish to pry. I only ask because I believe that you will be the one she turns to should the worst happen."

"I understand," Tony answered. He felt Ziva begin to stir and added quietly, "I'll be there for her."

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"Nikita, it's time for you to wake up now." Jenny's voice broke into the pleasant haze of sleep and Nikita looked up at her groggily.

"What's up?" she asked, feeling herself awaken more.

"Someone is here to see you," Jenny answered, beckoning to someone. Then a strangely familiar voice broke the silence.

"Wow, Jayce, you weren't kidding when you said we looked alike."

Nikita stared in disbelief as her twin brother approached with a teenaged girl at his side. Just seeing him was enough to get her to tackle him in a tight hug that knocked him to the ground.

"Ohmigod, it's really you!" Nikita shouted, laughing and crying at the same time. "You're really here!!"

"Only for a little while, sis." The handsome young man smiled and hugged her just as tight. "We only get a short time and there's a lot to tell you."

"But how is this possible?" Nikita asked, still trying to process that her brother was really there.

"We'll explain that too," the teenager smiled. Suddenly Nikita recognized her.

"You're Tali!"

_Ooooh, things are getting interesting now! One more chapter to go tonight!_

_CaliBrat_


	31. Promise me

**Promise me...**

_A/N : Something I forgot to mention in the last chapter—I kinda wrote Ziva's dad a little OOC, but I tried to keep him in character as best I could! Kleenex warning for this chapter—I never cry and the end of this one almost had me in tears while I wrote it!!_

"Nika, we don't have a lot of time." Jayce spoke sadly. He knew what would be asked of his little sister very soon now and he wanted her to make the best decision she could.

"Am I dying?" Nikita asked in a small voice.

"If you stay here too long you will," Tali answered. "But right now it's still up to you."

"I don't get it," Nikita answered, thoroughly confused.

"You always were slow to catch on when you first wake up," Jayce smirked.

"Well, you should have brought coffee," Nikita shot back. "Please just tell me what's going on!?"

"You have a decision to make—whether to live or die."

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After Ziva had fallen asleep for the second time, Eli quietly left. He found Gibbs waiting for him at the hospital elevator.

"She's taking this pretty hard," Gibbs said softly.

"Yes," David answered in the same tone. "She performed her duties well...my other agents were the ones who failed."

"Have you told her that?" Gibbs asked. "Ziva blames herself for not protecting the kid better."

"I know." The older man sighed heavily, suddenly seeming much older than his years. "Agent Gibbs, I trained my daughter to be the perfect operative and assassin. I thought I had—until the day Nikita Stewart appeared and I saw what I was trying to make Ziva become."

"I understand she was hired to kill you," Gibbs replied.

"And Ziva." Eli had never revealed to anyone that Ziva had nearly fallen victim to the Black Tiger. "She does not know. With Nikita's help I was able to find and eliminate the terrorist cell that hired her, but when I saw what she did to those men—I had heard of the Black Tiger's savagery, but to see it firsthand..."

"It's not a pretty sight," Gibbs finished, remembering the parking lot.

"Precisely," agreed the Mossad director. "But she save my life and that of my daughter. I owed her a debt—one that I failed to repay."

"Not necessarily," Gibbs answered. "The kid lost her brother, but in coming here...she gained a sister."

With that Gibbs excused himself and went to speak with Tony, leaving Eli David to his own thoughts.

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"Okay, this is getting way too much like some movie or something," Nikita said. "Why exactly are we here? I mean, Jenny could have told me all this, right?"

"She could have," Jayce agreed. "But we're here more or less to represent the reality of your choices. If you stay here, you'll be able to stay with me and Rachael and Isaac and everyone else..."

"But your body will die," Tali continued. "Those you leave behind will have to deal with the pain of your death."

Nikita wanted to protest, to say that no one would really miss her, but she knew it wasn't true. And the ones she had come to love would not be in this place with her if she died. She looked down at her hands, pondering the choices before her. Tali and Jayce waited silently, knowing they mustn't do or say anything that might influence her decision—it was hers alone. At last she looked up and Jayce smiled. He knew what her choice was and his heart filled with pride at his twin's courage.

"It's okay, Nika," he smiled, using the nickname he had given her when they were children. "I'll see you again. And I'm really proud of you."

Nikita hugged her brother tightly one last time before facing the girl who really could be her double. "I'm ready."

"Then follow me," Tali smiled, for a moment looking just like Ziva. She led Nikita to a small archway with an ornately carved wooden gate. Nikita reached for the latch, but hesitated.

"Tali, I need you to promise me..." she stopped, unsure if she was allowed to make requests in this strange place.

"It's okay, you can ask me what you want," Tali smiled gently.

"Take care of Jayce?" Nikita asked. "And...if you see my parents tell them I love them?"

"I promise." Tali hugged her as tight as she could. "Be good to Ziva, okay? Someone has to look out for her."

"I will," Nikita promised.

"Now it's time." Tali smiled and motioned to the gate. Nikita placed her hand on the latch, took a deep breath, and walked through.

_Last two chapters will be up next week! Thank you all so much for sticking with my insanity all this time!!_

_CaliBrat_


	32. Homecoming

_**Homecoming**_

_A/N : Hello all! I know it's been too long since I updated, but as it turns out, my muse wasn't letting me get well, she went on vacation!!! YIKES!!! Well, here comes the second to last chapter!!!_

"Ziva?" Tony's voice penetrated gently through the haze of sleep. "Ziva, honey, it's time to go."

"Already?" she mumbled, sitting up slowly, Nikita's hand still in hers.

"Yeah." Tony was worried. In the week following Nikita's fight with the Dragon, Ziva's overall physical health had improved somewhat, but she was far from regaining her former strength. Her father's worry had proved valid; though Nikita still lived, Ziva had become a ghost of herself. And deep down Tony knew that Ziva would never be the same if Nikita didn't make it.

"Do you think we could stay a few more minutes?" Ziva asked hopefully. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but she still tired so easily...

"If it were up to me we'd stay all night, sweetheart," Tony answered, wrapping his arms around her shoulders from behind and kissing her temple. "But they've already let us stay half an hour more than we were supposed to."

"Tony, I..."

"Shh, it's okay, I understand." He helped her up and waited as she gently kissed Nikita's forehead.

"I'll be back in the morning, _tateleh_,"

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"Jethro, have you heard from them today?" Ducky asked softly. Gibbs looked up from the paperwork he hadn't really been concentrating on, surprised to see that he and the medical examiner were the only ones in the squadroom.

"Not yet, Duck. Tony's gonna call when they're leaving the hospital," Gibbs answered tiredly. "I was planning to stop by his place and check on Ziva."

"How is she holding up?" Ducky already knew the answer though. When he had seen Ziva earlier that week he had become very concerned for her, both physically and mentally.

"I'm worried about her too," Gibbs said quietly. "So's Tony. But for the life of me I can't think of a way to help her."

"Nor can I, Jethro." Ducky shook his head sadly. "Her physical recovery is progressing much more slowly than it should and I believe it is because of her emotional state. I can't even begin to imagine how much pain she is feeling right now."

"I know, Duck." Gibbs's cell phone ringing put a stop to further discussion. After a brief conversation, he hung up. "Tony. They're on their way back to his place."

"At least Director Vance was good enough to give him some time off," Ducky observed. Vance had given Tony leave of absence for as long as Ziva was on medical leave—or until Nikita recovered.

"If he hadn't Ziva would be sharing a hospital room with the kid," Gibbs replied as they headed toward the elevator.

"Jethro, take this with you," Ducky said as they stepped into the elevator. He handed Gibbs a small evidence bag containing Nikita's Star of David necklace. "Abby found it in the evidence from the warehouse. The chain was broken—apparently from being torn off in the fight. I...took the liberty of having it repaired."

"I know Ziva will appreciate it," Gibbs said softly. "Thanks, Duck."

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Tony wasn't surprised to see the boss waiting for them at his apartment. Gibbs loved Ziva as much as if she were his own own daughter and shared Tony's worry for her. She looked like she hadn't had a decent night's sleep since Nikita fought the Dragon and she'd lost weight, but Gibbs simply greeted her with a warm hug as Tony opened the door.

"You doing all right, Ziver?" he asked softly.

"Not really." She allowed him to lead her into Tony's apartment and sat on the couch with him. Tony joined them and gently squeezed her hand as Gibbs handed her the evidence bag.

"Abby sent this for you," Gibbs said gently. "Ducky had the chain repaired."

Ziva's hands began trembling as she held the necklace and she fought to keep from crying. Tony put a gentle arm around her and she rested her head against his shoulder, fighting her emotions.

"Ziver." Gibbs' voice was very gentle as he closed his hand around hers. "It's okay to cry."

"It won't help!" Ziva whimpered even as she lost the battle with her grief. Turning, she buried herself in Tony's embrace as violent sobs racked her slender frame. Tony held her close and Gibbs rubbed her back gently, offering what comfort they could. The emotional storm lasted less than fifteen minutes, but it seemed more like hours to Tony. At last Ziva went limp in his arms, sleeping fitfully.

"What now, Boss?" he asked quietly.

"Put her to bed," Gibbs answered. "I'm calling Ducky."

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"Ducky's on his way here with Abby," Gibbs informed Tony a few minutes later.

"What did he say?" Tony asked quietly, his attention still focused on his sleeping partner. "Is there anything we can do for her?"

"Nothing we're not already doing," Gibbs answered. He knew that Ziva was reliving the nightmare of losing her sister and just how painful something like that could be.

"It just seems like all I can do is sit back and watch her fall apart." Tony gently brushed his fingertips across her cheek. "There's got to be _something_ more I can do..."

"Hey." Gibbs spoke softly, but something in his voice made Tony pause. "You've done more for her than all the rest of us put together. Don't start doubting yourself now."

"I haven't really done anything," Tony protested.

"You kept her from giving up," Gibbs shot back. "If it hadn't been for you, she'd be in a hospital bed too, but you've been there for her. Ziva loves you and I know you love her and I think that's what's made all the difference."

"I do love her," Tony admitted quietly. Finally he looked up at Gibbs. "Are you really okay with that—you know, Rule 12 and all?"

"I wasn't at first," Gibbs answered. "And you still have to keep it out of the office. But you and Ziva are good for each other. And more importantly, you're good _together_."

"You know, all that time I was on that damned boat she was all I could think about," Tony mused. "I should have called and told her..."

"What would you have said?" Gibbs asked. "And that's if she was even reachable."

"Tony?" Ziva mumbled sleepily. He gently took her hand before answering.

"Still here, Sweet Cheeks," he smiled. "We're both here."

"I'm sorry, I should not have lost control like that." Ziva tried to turn away, but Tony placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay," he said softly. "You're allowed."

Slowly Ziva opened her eyes to face them, not surprised to see she was in Tony's bed. Gibbs smiled little, trying to offer some reassurance.

"Tony's right, he said as he helped her sit up. "It's been the week from hell for all of us, but more so for you."

"Speaking of the rest of us," Tony began, "Ducky and Abby are gonna be here pretty soon. They're worried about you, sweetheart."

Ziva blinked back tears at that. "They don't have to..."

"Hush." Tony drew her onto his lap and held her close. "Of course they don't have to. It's because they love you."

"We all do," Gibbs added softly.

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Despite her protests that a visit was unnecessary, Ziva felt her spirits lift a bit when Abby and Ducky arrived. She loved and envied Abby's ability to be so openly affectionate toward others. And somehow Ducky always made her feel better, no matter the circumstances. Abby wasted no time in engulfing Ziva in a warm hug, but her manner was quieter then her normal caffeine-fueled exuberance.

"How are you holding up?" Abby asked as she pulled away enough to look into Ziva's eyes. "And please don't say you're fine because I know you're not."

"I think you know me too well, Abby." Ziva tried to smile, but just couldn't quite manage it. "But you are right. I'm not all right. But I am...coping."

"I wish I knew how to make it better..." Abby was interrupted by the ringing of Ziva's cell phone. During the short exchange, Ziva grew very pale and Abby put a steadying arm around her.

"We have to go back to the hospital."

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The five of them were met by Nikita's doctor before they could even reach her room. Ziva pressed tightly into Tony's side, terrified of what they would be told. The doctor wouldn't release any information over the phone and she fully expected to hear the worst. But then he smiled.

"Miss Stewart woke up about an hour ago," the doctor smiled. "The first thing she did was ask for you."

"Then...she's going to be all right?" Ziva managed, tears beginning to slide down her face.

"We'll need to run more tests later, but I believe she will make a full recovery," he answered. "And I think she'll be doing even better after seeing all of you."

Nikita was sleeping lightly when they entered her room, but opened her eyes when Ziva took her hand.

"Hey," she croaked, reaching up to weakly brush a tear from Ziva's face. "There's no crying in baseball."

Nikita's smart-ass remark made Ziva laugh for the first time in days—a sound that was absolute music to Tony's ears. "I'm just glad you're back, _tateleh_."

"Me too." Nikita smiled and let her eyes close, the smile remaining after she had drifted off once more.

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It was nearly two weeks before Nikita had recovered enough to be released from the hospital; however, she seemed to welcome the rest. Not surprisingly, Ziva's health had improved rapidly in that time as well. Nikita had made the decision to join NCIS and it had been decided that she would live with Ziva for the time being. Also, now that she could travel freely, Nikita had made plans to go to Israel to visit the graves of her family.

The night before Nikita's release from the hospital, Abby joined Tony and Ziva in preparing a homecoming party. Nikita's room was made ready—and shockingly, Abby did not lobby for red and black decor.

"I don't know how I would have gotten all this done by myself," Ziva sighed after they had finished, sinking down onto the couch.

"That's what friends are for," Tony smiled as he sat beside her.

"We had to make sure everything was perfect," Abby chimed in, grinning widely. "And by the way, speaking of perfect, is it official or what?"

"Is what official?" Ziva asked, confused by Abby's change of subject.

"You're still wearing Tony's ring." Abby grinned even wider if that was possible when Ziva blushed.

"Actually I...forgot to give it back," Ziva realized. She started to take the ring off, but Tony placed his hands over hers.

"I'd like for you to keep it," he told her softly. "I mean if you want to...not as a commitment...unless you want...I mean..."

"Ziva, **_PLEASE_** help him out!!!" Abby laughed.

Ziva smiled and shut Tony up with a long, tender kiss.

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"Ready to go home?" Ziva smiled as she walked into Nikita's room.

"Hell, yeah!" Nikita answered, smiling up at Gibbs as he entered the room.

"You got a package from your father," Gibbs told Ziva, handing her the rather bulky envelope.

"Why didn't he send it to my home?" Ziva wondered, slicing into the envelope. Her eyes widened as she stared at the enclosed papers. Silently she passed them to Nikita, who also went silent as she read them.

"What is it?" Gibbs asked, knowing it had to be pretty serious to provoke such a reaction.

"Falsified records," Nikita whispered. "Ziva, is this for real?"

"It must be," Ziva answered, "or my father would not have sent them."

"Sent **WHAT**?" Gibbs demanded.

"According to these documents my name is Nikita David," answered the young assassin. "Everything's here—birth certificate, passport..."

"Is this what you want, _tateleh_?" Ziva asked softly.

Nikita stared at her as if she were crazy then tackled her in a tight hug, unable to speak. Now it was true—for the first time in many years, Nikita was going home.

_There will be a short epilogue to follow! BTW, a pan of cyber fudge to everyone who got the movie reference in this chapter!!_

_CaliBrat_


	33. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_Well, here it is the final installment of Shades of Black! I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed writing!! Thanks to everyone for sticking with me for so long and for reviewing—it's a real ego-booster :)_

_**One year later**_

_"...according to officials, the body was discovered early this morning by hikers. No further information has been released at this time."_

"Well that was just weird," Nikita commented as Ziva sat beside her on the couch. "Not every day you get to hear that they discovered your body in a national park."

"At least now you can truly start over," Ziva answered. "You're free now."

"Yes." Nikita leaned her head back against the couch and sighed. "Hard to believe it's only been a year, isn't it."

"Very," Ziva agreed. It had been quite an eventful year for everyone. Nikita had joined NCIS and started to slowly build a new life for herself. She had undergone the painful and lengthy process of removing the tattoo on her shoulder, but had decided she wasn't quite ready to remove the Dragon's mark from her face. Some scars, she claimed, weren't meant to heal.

Ziva and Tony had moved in together once Nikita had gotten settled in a place of her own, and two months ago had made their engagement "official". Gibbs had sternly warned them they had better keep it out of the office, but even he was unable to be anything but happy for his agents.

But not all the year had been so joyful. Six months after her fight with the Dragon, Ziva had accompanied Nikita to Israel. It had been painful to watch her new sister experience such grief and not be able to do anything but stand aside and watch. But it had offered Nikita closure and at last Ziva could see the healing process beginning.

"Hey, no time to sleep, kid," Tony grinned as he walked into the room. "Isn't there some kind of law against sleeping through your birthday?"  
"Probably, but I have a feeling I may need the rest," Nikita laughed. "With Abby planning the party _we'll_ be the ones needing Caf-Pows!"

"Did she say what she had in mind?" Ziva asked, smiling up at Tony.

"Just that she'd pick all of us up here," he answered, leaning down for a quick kiss.

"She told me earlier she wanted to see how Snickers is doing," Nikita added, petting the tiny kitten as it jumped into her lap. The week before she had found the little furball in a dumpster and named her for the color patterns on her coat. The aptly named Snickers had rapidly captured all their hearts with her playful antics and affectionate ways. "The only clue she gave me was dress comfortably."

"Then there's no telling **_WHAT_** we'll be doing," Ziva smiled.

The door buzzer rang and Tony added, "Looks like we're about to find out."

* * *

The evening turned out to be a smashing success. Abby had decided they should all meet at the local Dave and Buster's, claiming that for one night at least everyone needed to be kids again. Tony, of course, had no trouble with that notion, immediately challenging McGee to a best-of-three tournament on one of the basketball games. Nikita and Ziva followed by beating Abby and Gibbs at skee-ball—prompting the Goth to declare the need for a tie-breaker.

"Okay by me, what's the game?" Nikita asked, taking a quick drink of water. "'Cause I say bring it on!"

"The ultimate combination of skill, stamina and reflexes," Abby grinned. "Dance Dance Revolution!"

Gibbs and Ducky sat back a bit to watch as Nikita and Abby started their "tie-breaker".

"Been a hell of a year, Duck," Gibbs said quietly. "Only a year since the kid was one of the most feared killers on the planet."

"Indeed, Jethro," agreed the ME. "In many ways it reminds me of the age-old debate over nature versus nurture."

"How so?"

"When she worked alone, Nikita was the perfect assassin—cold and ruthless," Ducky explained. "But then she found herself here and was accepted into our little family as one of us. And the result is now before us—a beautiful young lady who is, I would wager, happier than she has been in many a year."

"She's not the only one," Gibbs smiled as he watched Ziva laugh while cheering on her little sister. When Tony joined her, wrapping his arms around her from behind, she turned and snuggled into him with a look of total contentment. The year had changed her to—and for the better. She had responded to Tony's love and and Gibbs knew that at last she was truly happy as well. After a moment he and Ducky joined the rest of their "family", agreeing that there must be someone or something out there looking out for the team for them to have been so lucky.

* * *

In the place between life and whatever lay beyond, Jenny sat beneath the old oak tree where she had first met Nikita. Jayce and Tali had moved on, secure in the knowledge that their loved ones were all right now. But Jenny wasn't quite ready to leave yet. As long as those she loved most might need her, she would be there. With a soft smile, she leaned back against the tree, basking in the warm sunlight.

_**End**_

_Hope you like! I may do a sequel set in the year that I skipped, but I'm not sure. Let me know by hitting that little button!! Love ya,_

_Cali_


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